G O T H A M: Season 6
by Bluesparkz
Summary: Gotham, a cesspool of crime and corruption has reached its breaking point and is in desperate need of a new hero, a Dark Knight, However, with a new force for order, there must also come an equal force for chaos. Bruce and his allies fight against enemies of old and new to save their city. With his new crusade, Bruce is forced to face the man who he's become and his darkness.
1. Year One

**Disclaimer: Batman is the creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger and is the property of DC Comics along with all other DC characters that appear or are depicted. All characters from the show are to be seen as just that, the actors that portrayed said characters are not at all intended to be portrayed in this story.**

A/N:  
Hello there! Gotham recently ended with the birth of The Dark Knight, but what happens next after the cameras stop rolling? Well, the Dark Knight will continue his journey as Gotham's protector. However, as he continues his fight for the city; more dark forces will rise from the shadows to stand against him. This Story will mostly follows Bruce's life as he adjusts to being Batman and his impact on the city. Gordon and others will indeed be heavily involved, but I feel that Gordon (Though not knowing it) has passed the torch of the city's hero to Bruce,

Please note that this my theoretical idea of what a Season 6 should have been and if the show did indeed keep going I doubt they could legally do some of the stuff that is in this story because of that accursed Bat-Embargo. I have tried to carry over all the character's personalities from the show the best way that I can, so there might be a few odd moments from them, but I think that can be explained by the ten-year time jump that happened during the finale of the show.

I want to address one thing. This isn't going be written as being a show but instead will be written as a comic book (Like how Smallville has the Season Eleven comic continuation) This way the more outlandish aspects of the Batman mythos will not feel intrusive upon the show's tone. But I will try to keep the show's *timeless* age.

This Story is mostly focused around the first Year of the Dark Knight and his first meetings with his villains (The ones from the show and some that the show did not do). I'm going to try my best to balance the story between Batman's POV and the GCPD, but Batman is really fun to write. So there is no telling that this may become a Batman-centric story. I'll try my best to even it out the best that I can do.

Also one more thing. Other DC Heroes do exist in this story and will be referenced, but I am a little iffy about Batman meeting them. Let me know what you think about that and if you would like to see how this Batman would interact with some of them and which ones would you like to see?  
So without any further ado.

[Character Designs]

\- Bruce Wayne/Batman will begin the story with the suit he wore in the finale of Gotham and will have multiple suit upgrades throughout the story (My goal is to get him into the classic grey and black Batman suit akin to the comics)

\- Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin is going to have his design from before the finale (But with the monocle). His costume in the final episode looked terrible, absolutely terrible.

\- Edward Nygma/Riddler will have his look from the finale.

\- Selina Kyle/Catwoman has her design from the Arkham Games (Which will be explained later on)

\- Jeremiah Valeska/J/? will have the same appearance from the finale.

\- Harleen Quinzel/? will be a cute blond woman as she is usually shown. But once she falls victim to the madness...she will take on a much more frightening appearance.

Keys

Bold Text = Batman talking with the voice modulator active.

Italics = Speech from the communicator.

* = sarcasm.

* * *

**Year One**

* * *

3** Months After The Beginning...**

Gotham.

One word.

Just six letters.

One city.

However, the weight that it brought was unbearable for most with only a few who could hold it from collapsing in on itself. James Gordon, the Gotham City Police Department's commissioner of ten years, his most loyal friend: Captain Harvey Bullock. The once hardened detective now closest friend to Jim. And the one that lurks within the shadows of Gotham, preying on its criminals - protector of the innocent and punisher to the guilty. The one is only known as the shadow of Gotham who appeared on the scene just under four months ago.

Those are the three who stand between Gotham and absolute chaos.

This is their story

**[GCPD]**

"I got it, the Shadow!" Harvey offers, fiddling with his fingers with his trusty bottle of whiskey by his side.

"Excuse me?" James Gordon searches through a pile of paperwork. His eyes caught deep in the documents, files on the greatest threats to Gotham. It was just a regular day at the department which would spell disaster for any other city, but this was Gotham. Think of the foulest thing that a human could possibly do and there is a high chance that it would have already happened five times before you eat breakfast. This was not a city for meant for the faint of heart.

"This freak only comes out at night and beats the hell out of the underworld of Gotham. Crooks are even afraid of their own shadows, so I thought why don't we name him that? If we are going to be dealing with him; we might as well give him a name. I mean those guys in Metropolis gave their super...guy a name. Think of the bank that we can make on the Tourism" Harvey gave a light chuckle.

"Gotham isn't the most tourist-friendly city in the world, Harv. Plus I doubt that our guy would be as welcoming for his picture being taken" The commissioner placed down the files on to his desk "No sign of Edward Nygma or Oswald Cobblepot, not since they busted out of that transport van. They have most likely gone underground"

"Ironic considering how the guy that caught them was dressed as" Bullock adds.

"Ed is patient and knows when to lay low, but Oswald? He doesn't exactly do his best work when desperate. He should blow his cover sooner or later"

* * *

**[Elsewhere]**

"WHAT? I have been stuck down in this dump for three whole MONTHS and you have NOTHING on HIM!" Oswald Cobblepot yells as he limps towards a group of armed men "I did NOT build my legend up in the streets of GOTHAM just to have it be wiped away by a lunatic who doesn't know that Halloween isn't until another few months!" he screams, face fully red. He takes a deep breath as he attempts to calm himself down "You better find out WHO he is! I want his blood! GOTHAM is MINE!"

"Hey, boss! It's hard to find out stuff about someone when they can take you out in less than a second. We need to be careful!" one of the thugs reply, leaving Oswald to grunt.

"I should have hired Zsasz, at least I can get a laugh out of him every now and then! I refuse to be intimidated by a wet-nosed, dumb son of a-" he short man limps away with an obvious aggressive stance. His eyes track the wall as he suddenly sees a shadow fly past the corner of his eye "Oh...no..." he gulps. He slowly reaches into his pocket as he pulls out a handgun. His eyes relentlessly searching for any sign. He draws his gun and before he could take a shot.

The gun was knocked away from his hand as it skids against the floor. Next to it seemed to be a small bat-shaped piece of metal that was curved into the ground "What ARE YOU WAITING FOR! SHOOT HIM!" he screams at the top of his lungs.

The group of four thugs looks around at the ceiling with no sign of the one in the shadows. Quickly one of the members' foot was tugged by something and before he could make any other move he was swiftly dragged across the ground and into the shadows of the room.

"Screw this! FIRE!" one of them calls out as the remaining three unloaded their weapons against the corner of the room. Short flashes of light gave them a glimpse of the edge of the room and there was no one there. Another one of the men were grabbed from behind and were pulled into the shadows as his muffled screams quickly fade into the darkness. A swoosh of fabric could be heard within the pitch-blackness. The remaining two moved back-to-back as they search the whole room. Oswald was left speechless as he looks up to the perch points as two white eyes glare back down to him.

Another swoosh of the cape and the figure had landed onto the ground and has taken out the remaining two thugs; ramming their heads together to knock them out cold. Oswald shaken by the sight looks over to the gun that was on the floor. The shadowed figure's eyes narrow **"You will never make it in time"** came a modulated voice as the white eyes stare him down.

"Timing is just one factor my friend, but what truly matters...is the execution" Oswald goes for the weapon. It happened again the figure rushed over and with a swoosh of its cape knocked him back. Oswald was now thrown against a wall and held there by the gauntlets of the mysterious figure "Who the hell DO you THINK YOU ARE!" the man screams down to the one that was pressing against the wall.

**"I am vengeance, I am the night and I am the one who will keep criminals like you off the streets! The Riddler, where is he! I know that you two are working together!**" the Batman growls. Oswald shakes his head.

"I'm not telling you squat, you hear me? I refuse to be bullied by someone who dresses like a BAT!" Cobblepot yelps.

"**Innocent people are going to die if he is left in the city! You should know how unstable he is! He belongs in Arkham**" the shadowed figure now clearly agitated throws him against the wall again with even more force; causing the smaller man to grasp.

"Look at that! The *Cobble*pot calling the kettle BAT!" Oswald retorts with a small laugh.

"**I don't have time for this! Talk or I'll break your arm!**" Batman threatens as he begins to twist the man's right arm. Slowly and more importantly painfully which earned a few painful cries from him. Unable to take any more. Oswald finally broke...mentally anyway.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! I don't know exactly where he is...but!"

**"TALK!"**

"Across town! Where the old narrows use to be! I swear that is all I know! I swear! We went our separate ways a month ago" Cobblepot spits out the words.

"**If you are lying to me...I will be back for you...**" the cape shrouded Oswald and before he knew it. He was hanging from the ceiling with robe tightly tide around him. The figure was completely gone and Oswald was left by himself with his crew.

"Damn it!" he kicks and struggles.

* * *

**[Arkham Asylum]**

Lightning struck the world outside and heavy rain was storming.

A soft humming was coming from one of the cells. The one at the end. The room where everyone feared to enter. The door itself was locked behind five layers of barricades. From within the room sat a man who many knew to fear and to never run in to. In the middle a grotesque man restrained by a straitjacket. Whatever little hair that he had left were relegated to small strands. The room was almost completely dark with the only coming from outside the room.

A grim smile, one that came from nightmares themselves was plastered on his face "My kindred spirit...no...my soulmate. He's out there and I am trapped in here - but which one of us is truly imprisoned?" he laughs quietly "He needs me...I need him. We were made for each other" the man chuckles.

From outside of the room and at the end of the hallway stood two people. A blonde woman dressed in a with glasses and a man dressed in a neat-suit. He was mostly bold with a grey receding hairline and wore glasses over his eyes. Quinsy Sharp looks to the woman as he shows clear signs of being annoyed "For the last time, No. You don't want to get close to that...thing in there" he warns the woman.

The blonde shrugs "He's a sick man. He needs help. Isn't that why we are here? First, he gets beaten up that whacko dressed like a Bat and now he is being locked up like he's an animal. If I can just get one session with him that will be all I need to make a clear diagnosis. He can be restrained if you are really that worried that I might a danger" the woman tries to reason.

Quinsy Sharp recoils at the woman's words. He looked almost offended by the woman's cavalier tone. Sharp took Harleen's words as naïve, like a child who would be only seeing the world in black and white and not the ominous tones of grey that he saw. "He's not a man...he's not even human. He's a monster. And I am ordering you to stay away from him unless that is you want to end up like the last girl that got close to him. He twisted her mind and made her bloody crazy and to top it all off...he shot her dead without a second thought. The poor girl" the man replies.

"Please, I need this! This could finally be the thing that makes my career, please. He can't be all bad, I'm sure that he can be a bit of a joker every now and them. Please, I just need one hour with him! I'm sure that I can get to the bottom of Jeremiah Valeska's mind " the blonde replies as she asks with a sincere tone. Holding her hands together.

"Do not say his name! Whoever Jeremiah once was...that has faded...and an even greater monster has formed...The staff here and even the patients treat him like the god damn bloody boogieman. They have all agreed on the unspoken rule of not saying his name..." the man replies with the clear signs of fear plaguing his words. Just thinking of that monster was enough to make his hands shake and to sweat. The woman's interest was only increased as she saw the signs of terror on her Quinsy's body language.

"What do they call him then?" Harleen asks slightly nervous.

"J. Nothing more and nothing less, though I've heard some alternatives from his fans" the man replies.

"Alright. If I were to agree to this, we will need to set some ground rules...even more than the other patients. We'll talk tomorrow. Night, Dr. Quinzel" the man turns and walks off down and turns a corner; leaving the blonde on her own. Her eyes peek over to the end of the hallway and to the forbidden door. She slowly walks up and crosses the red tape that showed the boundaries of the cell. She hunches closes to the window of the door to get a look into the room.

"Don't worry Mr. J. I will do my best to help you, I swear. Everyone sees you as a monster, but I see someone who is troubled and needs help. I promise I will do everything that I can to help you. You're not a monster to me...understand?" she asks. She sees the restrained man with his back to her. His head slightly lifts. The Doctor waits a few moments in hopes that she would get a response.

"Okay, then...I'll be seeing you tomorrow. I'm Quinzel, Dr. Harleen Quinzel and I hope to get to know you...maybe I can show them that you are not the monster that they make out to be. " once again she waited for a reply. And to her surprise, she finally got one. The man slightly turns his head but still not enough to give her a view of his face.

"Dear me my sweet Harleen...no...it doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Tell me, do you like being called Harley?" J simply asks her.

"Uh...I...do not know. I've almost been alone, but uh...you can do that if you...like?" Harleen nervously replies to the man's surprisingly smooth voice that was on point to be almost relaxing. It was strangely seductive, something that she liked and wanted to hear more of. She could not explain the feeling, but somehow talking to him felt...right. She just reveals her feelings of being lonely to him like she knew that she could trust him.  
"Harley...now that has a nice ring to it...or am I easily impressed? No...that can't be it. Well, Harley...I look forward to our first session...I'll tries not to disappoint..." the man let lose a small series of faint laughs as he sees lightning strike once more and the flash from it lights up his face.

* * *

**[Elsewhere]**

"GCPD! Don't move!" Jim Gordon calls out as and Harvey barge through into the room holding the guns at the ready. They both look around the room and sees Oswald Cobblepot and what looked like four henchmen all tied together and hanging from the ceiling.

"Holy moly. Looks like our friend has been busy" Harvey observes.

Oswald looked over to them "Jim! Please get me out of here before he comes back!" he calls over.

"If this is tweedled dumb where is tweedled dee?" Harvey looks to Jim.

"I heard that! And FOR you Information Ed is most likely on the receiving end of a Batshit insane lunatic! How can you arrest me yet let that thing roam around Gotham!" Oswald growls.  
"Unlike you. He's a man of few words" Gordon replies as he slides his gun back into his holster.

"Speaking of which. I got a few words for you...and spoiler alert! None of them are complimentary!" Cobblepot tries to struggle against the rope.

"This is great! Cobblepot is right here and our pal is about to take down Nygma! If this keeps up I may be able to start drinking before 5 again!" Harvey gave a chuckle.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that my friend! See Ed wouldn't have been sitting on his ass this whole time. His ego would never let him not challenge this so-called Dark Knight of Gotham! Most likely he has a plan to deal with your friend..." Oswald laughs "Ed has been planning all this time to kill that bat! And your dear friend is walking right into his trap!" he adds.

* * *

**Across Gotham**

From the rooftops, a shadow moves between buildings. Gliding between them and sometimes graplin over to the next one. Settling on a gargoyle that oversees the city. Rain hits hard down onto the buildings and streets as lightning strikes behind the dark knight. Lifting his hand to a button on his neck. The figure looks over to the edge of the city "**Lucius, Stay on standby. I should be closing in on the Riddler...and after reading his file. I am damn sure that he knows that...**" Batman leaps off of the gargoyle and expands his cape as he glides across the cityscape.

_"Don't worry. Bruce. I've got your back"_ Lucius replies through the communicator. Gliding downward the dark knight lands on top of the two-story building. He looks around as he steadily begins to walk across the roof. His head suddenly turns as a green light turns on which captures him in its glow.

A man dressed in a green suit covered in question marks stood atop over the next building. Holding a cane in one hand with the tip being in the shape of a question mark. He steadily applauds the cloaked figure beneath him "Hmm. I knew that Oswald would sell me out to save his own hide, but he lasted three more seconds than I originally calculated" the man looked at the watch on his wrist as he gives an amused look over to the shadowy figure "Oh no, my watch is just a few seconds behind".

"Riddle me this, dark knight, what has two pointy ears, a cowl, and cape and is going to play my game?" the Riddler taps the cane against the roof as he smirks "I have been waiting to say that for so...long. You have no idea..."

"**You must not have heard. I'm not into playing games**" the Batman growls roughly as he walks towards the Riddler.

"You don't have a choice. See this platform that I am standing on?" the Riddler points to his feet where they were standing on a green circular plate "It's a pressure plate and the moment that I step off of it. Boom! The bombs that I have planted all over the city will go off that is...if you fail our little game, but If you can prove that you have the higher intellect by answering all three riddles correctly; The pressure plate will deactivate and you can take me back to Arkham!"

"**What bombs? Where are they?!**"

"Yeah...like I would tell you. Now I will show Gotham why no one makes a fool out of the Riddler! Win this game and guess all three Riddles correct, that's the only way to stop the bombs are if you are thinking about refusing to play. you'll have a three-minute time limit. I was originally going to make it just one minute, but I then realized that I like three more" The Riddler holds up his cane "Let's begin with a practice one just to get you in the mood! Riddle me this Dark Knight, how far can you run into a forest?"

"**You really are insane. I am going to put a stop to this!**"

"The Riddle! Answer it!" the Riddler spits.

Batman remained still as he looks up to the man in the green suit **"Halfway, any further and you would be running out**"

"Congratulations, world's greatest detective! Did you figure that one out all by yourself?" Riddler laughed as he spins the cane in his hand "Now let's begin the main event!"

* * *

**Chapter End. **


	2. Ruling Gotham From a Shadowed Perch

**Ruling Gotham from a Shadowed Perch**

* * *

Batman looks up at the Riddler. Eyes locked on, ready to pounce. No matter how much that he wanted to quickly end this whole ordeal there was no way that he could take that risk. Not at this time. The man before him was insane. The Riddler would deliver on his promise if he refused to play along. The shadowy figure had no other choice but to play along and hope to stall for as much time as he possibly could. His eyes narrow as his cape was blown by the wind.

"**Lucius, the Riddler is threatening to set off bombs that he has planted all around the city. From this distance, he would need to be using a signal to detonate them. Try to scan for the bombs using the signal** " The Dark Knight talks to his ally through his communicator.

_"On it, Bruce. I can do one better. Given enough time I could jam the signal altogether, but you will have to buy as much time as you can" _Lucius replies.  
_"I don't think I have a choice, but I only have nine minutes at most. So I hope that you are working fast"_

"The first Riddle!" the Riddler smirks "You will never lose me. For eternity we will be together from the moment of birth till we are six feed under - what am I?" the man points his cane at the vigilante. A moment of silence passes by "Tic tock! Goes the clock! Answer it or the bombs will go off!" the green-suited man yells.

"I need to hold on until the last possible second to give Lucius as much time as needed...I need to stall for time. Riddler is infamous for his delicate ego. I might be able to use that to my advantage. I need to play this one smart" Batman thinks to himself "**Tell me, Ed. What does it feel like to be second best to the Penguin? I can't imagine that you can be alright with that? He takes the spotlight and you are always relegated to the corner as being a madman"**

"There is no Ed anymore! Only the Riddler! I am second to no one! Not even Oswald!" The Riddler spits.

"**You are to me. Why do you think I went after the Penguin first? Not because I enjoy his company. He has always been more feared than you. Oswald Cobblepot is more of a danger to society than you. A short guy with an even shorter temper that walks with a limp. No wonder you are a laughing stock**"

"You will never lose me. For-for eternity we will be together from the moment of birth till we are six feet under! What is the answer?!" clearly frustrated by the words of the dark knight. The Riddler was struggling to hold back his temper as his face was tinted bright red.

_"Bruce. I have a lock on the signal, but it's heavily encrypted. This may take much longer than we can afford"_

"**Quickly patch me through to Gordon"** the dark knight orders.

"You are RUNNING out of time! Ten seconds my friend till the bombs go off!" the man in the green suit reminded the shadowed figure.

_"Bruce!"_

"Five, four, three, two...on-"

"**Your Shadow! You will never lose your shadow**!"

"Your...are...correct! One down, two to go" Riddler applauded "I guess you aren't as dumb as I thought"

"That was close, Bruce. Patching you through to Gordon right as we speak"

* * *

"Jim. If the Shadow doesn't do it for you...what about...hold on. He's a man that dresses like a bat, right?" Harvey looks ahead out to the road. Harvey was driving back to the GCPD with Jim sat next to him. Oswald Cobblepot sat in the backseat. His hands were cuffed together as he had the most annoyed look on his face. Jim looks over to his partner. He rolls his eyes knowing that Harvey was not going to drop the whole thing so he thought the easiest and less painful way was to simply play along with it.

"Yes. He dresses like a bat. Where is this going, Harv?" Gordon asks his partner.

"I got the perfect name! Behold, the guardian of Gotham...Man-bat". Get that on a few t-shirts and lunch boxes and our city will soon be rolling in green! Harvey taps his fingers on the top of the stirring wheel. Gordon had to try his hardest to keep in the sigh that he so desperately wanted to let out.

"Man-bat? I can do better than that..." Gordon breaths in.

"Really? Let's hear it?" Harvey asks intrigued.

"Hear what?"

"Don't play dumb, Jim. If you can do better than say it" Harvey turns the stirring wheel as he turns a corner.

"Fine, uh...how about The Dark Knight? A silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight" Gordon takes a deep breath.

"Damn it. That one is great! Metropolis may have the Man of Steel, but Gotham has The Dark Knight! What do you think, Oswald?"

Oswald took a deep breath "I hate you"

"Don't make me come back there and teach you some manners" Harvey shoots back as he adjusts the rear-view mirror to get a better look at Oswald. The handcuffed man gives off a light chuckle as he looks at the man in the same mirror.

"Believe me, my friend. I am not as scared as easily as you think I am...My time in Black Gate has toughened me up. You would not believe the things that I have seen. The horrors that I have witnessed! There is nothing left that can frighten me anymore!" he laughs back.

Gordon looks to the front of the car as he hears the radio begin to go off. He picks it up and answers it "This is Gordon speaking. What's the situation?"

_**"Gordon, It's me. I'm with the Riddler**"_

Gordon's eyes widen "It's him..."

"The Shadow - Uh. I mean The Dark Knight?" Harvey looks surprised.

"Wait? You are talking to him!? Forget what I just said a moment ago. I was not in the right state of mind" Cobblepot gulps.  
"Hi? Uh, what's the situation...?" Gordon asks.

_"**Riddler has planted bombs all over the city and is going to detonate them if I don't play his game and beat him at it"**_ the modulated voice informs them. Harvey slowly looks back to Oswald with a shocked expression.

"What? I didn't know that he was going to do that! I haven't seen him for three months!" Penguin nervously confesses.

"Wait? Just win the game and we should be fine, right?" Harvey looks over to Jim.

"_**Riddler is a madman and a sore loser. I need to be sure that the bombs will not be a threat. I'm currently working to disarm the Bombs. But just be safe I need your help to evacuate those buildings just in case I can't manage to. I'm sending you the Locations** "_

"This can't get any worse..." Harvey panics.

_"**And you have six minutes tops**"_

"I'm sorry? WHAT?" Harvey yells.

* * *

**[The Batcave]**

"Alright! Enough stalling! It's time for the second riddle, ready? Ready or not I come for thee. Striking whenever I see fit. Saying no to me will make me come back another day when you can't escape - what am I?" Lucius heard from the other end of the line.

"Ready or not I come for thee...striking when I see fit...saying no to me will make me come back another day when you can't escape..." Lucius whispers to himself "Death! The answer is death, Bruce" he answers while he types on the keyboard next to a large monitor.

"**Figured that much. What's the progress**"

"_Uh...roughly around 20%, of course, that's not taking into account for any further encryptions. Honestly, I'm seriously thinking that we are in some trouble"_

"**You need to work faster. We can't let those bombs go off**"

"I'm going to need an answer if you don't want the bombs to go off" Riddler laughs as he holds the cane behind his back "Or are you just too stupid to it figure out. Of course, I knew that not even you could match my intellectual might. Did you just think that you could waltz into Gotham and try to outwit me, the Riddler? I don't think so! And now everyone will know that their so-called hero is nothing but a fraud. You will become the laughing stock and I will become respected!"

_"Bruce! He's going to set them off if you don't distract him!"_

"You could never match me. I would have never allowed it!"

"**Hold on! Before I answer I have a question of my own! What could you possibly have to gain from setting off bombs all across Gotham? You would become a shoot on sight Target. Not just for the GCPD but for the underworld too. I don't see how you could think that this was going to work for you. Weren't you supposed to be smart?**" the Batman inquires as he notices a sudden twitch from the Riddler.

"You couldn't possibly understand just what is going on in this city! The filth that is lurking within the shadows! I'm not a law abiding citizen but I will be damned if I will let them take over the city! This is our city...it belongs to me and all the other criminals. I will not let you or them take it! Not only do I defeat you in this game but I can kill all of them too! Now answer the riddle if you want to buy more time!" The Riddler calls out as he looks to the shadowed figure.

"**Fine! Death! The answer is death**" Batman answers.

"...Correct! That's two out of three! Now here's the final test! But this will be your end. I will not let you win this game of ours. It ends here and now!" Riddler holds the cane behind his back as his eyes glare to the dark knight.

"**You are right about one thing. This is where our game ends!**"

"Oh, you think you can beat me? You really are batty. Now Riddle me this, Dark Knight! You look at another when you should be looking at me. A knife in the back later and you begin to see the mistake that you made not watching over what you should have been. What am I?" Riddler smirks.

The dark knight found himself thinking heavily as he tries to figure out the riddle "**Not looking where I should have been?... You're a distraction"** he looks up to the Riddler who was grinning. He begins to applaud the shadowy figure.

"And...bingo..." Riddler compliments.

"Bruce! Bruce! I've finished decrypting the signal! It's not a bomb. It's a beacon!"

Without any hesitation. The dark knight leaps forwards and uses his grapple gun to launch himself into the air. The Riddler was left motionless as he sees the shadow quickly descend upon him. Within seconds the Riddler was knocked to the ground with the dark knight kneeling over him.

"**Why are you sending out a beacon! What are you planning!" he yells as raises his fist above the Riddler's face "Tell me just what are you planning? There are no bombs so what is going on!**" he punches the man in green's face "**What are you planning!**"

"Who said anything about it being my plan? I had no choice! They told me to get you away from the city! They said they would kill me if I didn't! They wanted you away so they could do what they needed to do in peace and without you getting in their way!" Riddler spits blood.

"**Who told you? Who are you working for!**" the dark knight prepares another punch. The Riddler throws his hands up and panics.

"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you! But trust me you don't want to get on the wrong side of them! They are all over Gotham. Hidden in the shadows and in the open! They returned to Gotham because of you! You want to play the hero, but you are the reason why they are back! It's...the...Court..." Riddler explains between frantic breaths as he looks up into the merciless eyes of the shadowed figure.

"**The Court?**" Who are you talking about"

"The Court...the Court of Owls! They are a hidden group in Gotham and all-powerful...when Gotham was in the middle of rebuilding ten years ago. They managed to infiltrate the system all over again! And now they fully came back when you arrived in town!"

"**The Court of Owls? Why did they send you to distract me? Answer!"**

"To...kill...their targets! That's all I know! I don't know who they are going after, so there is no point in hitting me!"

"**Says you**" the dark knight delivered another punch to the Riddler's face; knocking the man out cold. The shadowed figure stands up tall "**And by the way. Your riddles suck**"

"Bruce. There is something going down at the GCPD. Shots have been fired - but we don't know by who" The Dark Knight pulls out his grapple gun as he fires it and is lifted away.

"**Let Gordon know that Nygma is out cold, send him the location**" Batman glides away.

* * *

**[GCPD]**

The GCPD fell into darkness as the lights go out; leaving the officers in a pitch-black room. They all look around to the best of their abilities. Grabbing their guns they steadily maneuver around. From above on the staircase stood a man dressed in black armour with glowing blue eyes lurked over the station. The Talon pulls out two daggers as he overviews the department and sees all the officers. His eyes narrow as he jumps down onto ground level as screams begin to full the room with the sound death-rattling sound of blood and metal.

Harper's eyes widen as she was left to shooting blind in hopes of hitting whatever was in the precinct with them "Who the hell are you?!" she screams as she fires as fast as she can. The sound of sudden movement made her jump in her skin. The sound of metal collided against her; leaving her stunned as she had a sudden taste of iron in her mouth. It took her a few moments to realize that the taste in her mouth was blood and a lot of it. Moving her hands to her sides; she felt a wet patch that soaked through her clothes. Falling on her knees she collapsed onto the ground as she hears the screams across the room come to a sudden and abrupt end. At the corner of her eye, she sees a shadow quickly move past.

A bat-shaped metal piece was hurled through the end and knocked one of the daggers out of Talon's hands. The owl-themed figure turns as he sees a shadow move in the corner of his eyes "Ah...The Batman. So Nygma did end up talking after all" Talon gives a humoured chuckle as he pulls out another dagger and throws it across the room only for it to be intercepted by another Batarang. Talon looks around as his eyes shine bright through the darkness "You must forgive the mess, Batman. I wasn't aware that I was going to have a guest.

"**The Talon. Not sure if you have heard, but I'm the only creature of the night here. You think I would just let you and the Court of Owls back into without putting up a fight?**" Batman asks as he moves behind Talon in a blur.

"You have only been here for four months...we have been here before Gotham was even called Gotham. We know everything that goes on in the city...especially people who leave Gotham to return as a so-called Hero. Our eyes and ears are everywhere. We even know that you call yourself The Batman. Heck, even I know everything about you, After all, I was created to become you...I'm sure you remember?" Talon sees the edge of a black cape in the corner of his eyes.

"You think while you were off training that we weren't keeping tabs on you? We saw everything, every master that you trained with...all the skills that you've learned...every trial that you put yourself through. I went through the exact same training that you did! I did everything that you did to become your equal...except for one little detail..." Talon throws another dagger towards his target. Sure enough with the swoosh of the cape. Batman had vanished into the darkness "Killing is my specialty. So come down and fight me like a man and stop hiding in the shadows like a coward!" the Talon yells as his voice echoes.

"**The Court of Owls should know one thing. This time...I'm not a helpless kid**" the voice carries throughout the room. The Talon nods in agreement with the shadowed figure. Batman watches from the corner of the room.

"Neither am I" Talon responds as grabs another set of daggers. He looks around as he uses his eyes as lights to spot his target. Moments passed without any sign of the dark knight. With a quick movement within the darkness. Batman delivered the first strike from his fist. Talon quickly turns and uses his forearm to block. Talon throws his head forward and headbutts Batman. Talon keeps up his momentum as he swings both his daggers towards his target.

Batman dodged the first with ease but the second cut his shoulder. The dark knight jumps back and uses his cape to stop Talon from striking again for a third time "You want to save this city? Yet you refuse to do what is needed. You are not a guardian...you are just naïve!" Talon grunts as he swings the daggers as he spins his top half. Batman narrows his eyes as steps out of the way of the daggers. He grabs a Batarang from his belt and cuts across Talon's leg; causing him to stumble.

"**No. I've just seen the good in Gotham...the good in its people. That is what I fight for. You may not be able to feel pain, but that should still slow you down**" Batman growls as he sees Talon stand back up.

"Then you are fighting for a lost cause!" Talon quickly turns and kicks Batman backward against the wall. Talon throws his daggers towards the dark knight. Batman ducks and slides under Talon where he uses his Batarang to slice through his heel. Talon trips against the same wall. Batman then jumps up and kicks Talon in his upper back. kicking off Talon, Batman backflips back onto the ground as he sees Talon fall to his knees. Breathing heavily as he holds his sides.

"**Just to let you know. I just broke two of your ribs and shattered your collar bone**" Batman sides steps as his cape falls back down over his shoulders and arms.

"Thanks for the heads up. That explains why my breathing is so funny now" Talon took a deep breath.

"**Come after me all you want, but killing innocents is something that I will not stand for in my city**" Batman tells the grounded fighter.

"This is Gotham...there are no innocent people here...not even you!" Talon's voice intensified as he jumps off the wall and hits Batman in his face with one of his daggers; slicing across his cheek. Batman slides back as Talon begins to go on the attack. Cutting across Batman's arms and shoulders in a flurry of strikes.

Batman was forced back as he lifts his arms in an attempted to block any more slashes which worked for the moment. Talon's eyes narrow "You have the most darkness of anyone in this city!" he lifts his boot as a small blade ejects from it as he kicks into Batman's stomach in the exposed area; causing for Batman and grunt in pain.

"You may be vengeance, but I am the judgment. You may be the night, but I am the light that renders you powerless. You may be The Batman, but I am The Talon! I am what you could have been! I am what you'll never live long enough to become!" Talon's eyes narrow as he uses his hands to grab onto Batman's shoulders as he pulls him closer "And your legacy will become mine!" Talon moves his foot away from Batman's stomach as the wound bleeds heavily.

Batman held his wound with his hand to stop the bleeding. But it wasn't enough as he collapsed to the ground. The Talon looks over Batman only looking away when he hears heavy footsteps coming from outside. Talon jumps up into the darkness and vanishes from sight. Moments later a team of S.W.A.T officers charges into the building ready to fire their weapons. Behind them was Commissioner Gordon and Captain Bullock. Their eyes widen in disbelief as they see the massacre before them "Oh my god...who could've done this...?" Harvey takes his hat off his head and holds it to his chest.

Gordon looks onward as he sees an empty pool of blood in the middle of the place, but with nobody. He walks over to that spot, kneeling down and picking up a bat-shaped metal object. Harvey trots over and snatches it from his partner "Oh my god...he did this...! He sent us on a bloody goose chase just so he could kill our officers! I can't believe that I trusted him..." Harvey's left-hand forms into a first as he turns around to face the S.W.A.T officers.

"Set a city-wide BOLO! I want this son of a bitch found before morning! I want this bat-man in custody! Hear me!" Harvey yells.

* * *

"**Lu...cius...call Alfr-**" Batman whimpers as he holds his stomach wound as best as he could, although a large amount of blood was still pouring from it. His glove was even soaked dark red. He uses his free hand to press against the wall for support as he limps through an alleyway as a snail's pace. Blood was dripping down his chin and his teeth were stained red.

_"Oh my god. Hold on, Bruce! Help is on its way...just don't die on us!_" Lucius begged from the other end of the call.

"**I can't breath...I can't...feel...I can't...**" Bruce's vision was blurry, dizzy and he could barely hear a thing. His body refused to move and he fell to the ground. His vision slowly darkened until he couldn't see a thing. His ears were ringing as the whole world just seemed to stop.

"Bruce! Bruce! It's me! Bruce! Can you hear me...Bruce...?" a familiar feminine voice called to him, but he didn't have enough strength to identify it. His eyes closed and with that, the whole world went dark; leaving the woman to scream once more.

"BRUCE!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

* * *

**Chapter End**


	3. A Beautiful Madness

**A Beautiful Madness**

* * *

**Arkham** **Asylum**]

"And it was at that moment...that I felt something new...something beautiful...I never felt so alive..." J explains to the blonde woman sat beside him. J was strapped down from the wrists and feet to a steel gurney. He looks up to the ceiling directly at the light. His lips were in a nightmare-themed grin. Harleen Quinzel sat with her legs crossed as she took notes on the clipboard in hand. She found herself looking over the man tied down before her. She was clearly on edge, however, she found something strange in herself that was drawing her to him.

"I see. I noticed that you were talking about that bat guy like you know him?" Harleen raises an eyebrow.

"My sweet Harley. I have always felt alone in this cruel world...so cold...so confused. Well...that's all that I can remember...everything else...is fuzzy...but I never forgot him..." J cranks his neck so he could look at the doctor "You want to know something...funny? I made him into that..." J chuckles.

"Made him into that? I don't understand. Why would you do that? He put you back in here" Harleen fixes her glasses.

"I did it...because it was the only way I could have anyone who would understand me. You'll be surprised. Once you are known as a madman...everyone thinks that everything that you say or do is...crazy. Tell me my dear...do you think that I'm...crazy?" J's soft-spoken words contradicted his outer appearance to the point of confusing the doctor of what is real and what isn't. She took a minute or two to gather her thoughts on him. Could this man really be the monster that people made him out to be?

Harleen has been in Gotham for years and worked at Arkham for just as long. She has seen the strangest of people in her time. It was her job after all. However, this "J" was something in an entirely different category altogether. This man in front of her was feared by mostly everyone in the city. She has heard the stories about how Jeremiah Valeska along with his brother tormented the city of Gotham. The destruction and death that they brought with them, but this J seemed to be nothing like the stories described.

The man before her seemed to be so calming. A polite manner that heavily contradicted his grimace look. She felt sorry for the man. Like he was unfairly and unjustly thrown back in here where he would never get the help that he desperately needed. Everyone in the madhouse was too frightened to even look at him, let alone actually try and talk to him. Harleen knows that she would be the only person that would give the guy a chance. That's why she chose to be here of course.

And she would honor the vow that she made to herself.

"I don't think that you're crazy. Just misguided. Everyone treats you like a monster. No wonder why you are starting to believe that, but I promise...that I won't. You're not a madman...or some scary monster. You're just a person who the world has abandoned. I promise that from now on...you won't be alone" Harleen smiles at J.

"You are too kind my dear. That means a lot" J smiles back to her.

"That's why I'm here" she leans forward and slides her hand into his.

"We've talked about me a lot, but I'm not too sure I know that much about you? Tell me about yourself, Harley?" J asks the blonde.

"Well uh...I don't know...uh...what would you like to know...?" Harleen inquires as she was taken back by the man's question.

"Oh...I don't know...how was your day, perhaps maybe you could tell me about your greatest desire in life or your deepest fear? or my personal favourite: your defining moment, I'm not picky, I would just like to know something about you. You sat here and listened to me ramble on...I feel it is only fair that I do that for you? After all...we all need someone to talk to, otherwise, we would all go mad..." J gives a full smile.

"I...Uh..." Harleen was clearly unconformable with the man's request. Not because of the question itself, but for the answers that it could possibly lead to. She rubs her nose and decides since it was the two of them alone. She wouldn't have to worry about other people overhearing it "Promise to keep doctor-patient confidentiality?" she jokes.

""I won't tell a soul" J was quick to reassure her.

"I remember on my twelfth birthday. My family and I went to the local circus that just came into town. I had never seen a clown at that point so I was really excited. When we first got there...well it was amazing. The rides, the booths even the performers were amazing and the fireworks! Oh, the fireworks...they were so beautiful. Blue, purple, red and even yellows sparks all over the sky. It was the most amazing moment of my life, everything was amazing..."

"Then what happened?" J interjects.

"Nothing. The whole thing was amazing and one of my fondest memories. It's what happened after that scared me..."

"Really? What could have possibly happened to ruin that moment for you?" J asks.

"My Father...he had a history of drugs and alcohol, but he managed to fight off his addiction for me and my siblings. He loved us all with all his heart. He wasn't wealthy or anything, but he used every bit of money that had on his family. He would have done anything for us. He was such a good person, but that didn't stop my mother from sleeping with another man. Then leaving my father. She took me and my sisters with her and left him with nothing..." Harleen had to try to hold herself back from tearing up.

"Soon after that. He had relapsed back to his old self. The drugs, the alcohol. He even started smoking. He continued that downward spiral until one day he just couldn't deal with his life anymore. He decided to end it all and shot himself. I only found out because I overheard my mom one night when she was drinking with her friends. I remember a couple years later, I learned that my dad had tried to contact my mom and asked to see me and my sisters. My mom just said no and acted like he had no right to do so..." Harleen adds.

"That's when I promised myself and in the memory of my father. That I would never let someone who needed help go without it. That's why studied psychology and why I am here now. I heard the stories about Gotham and how badly the mentally ill were treated here. I knew that I could finally make a difference here. I always tell my co-workers that this is just the beginning of my career, but between you and me. I'm happy as things are..." Harleen took a deep breath.

"Wow...that was...I have never opened up to anyone like that before...not even my mother. I feel so conformable with you. Like I can trust you with anything...thank you, Mr. J., I feel so lonely sometimes, but now that I'm with you...I feel so...I can't describe the feeling with words..." the blonde stresses "I was always so scared to open up to people knowing that they could be judging me. Laughing at me..." Harleen gives a shy smile to the man lying in front of her.

"My dear Harley. You are seeing it" J comments.

"Seeing what?"

"The cracks in what the people call society. They laugh at your fears, call them irrational. They make you feel foolish for not playing along with them. They just don't want you to see the truth. Truth be told. When the chips are down and the pressure is on. Your neighbour, the bank accountant, that pimple covered teenager who works in the shop. When they become desperate enough...they will snap in an instant and kill to survive. Sure people like to hold on the notion of normal behaviour for us and will do anything to keep it even after they are proven wrong again and again. If you ask me...those type of people are the lunatics..." J smirks as his eyes look into the blonde's eyes "And we are the only ones who are truly...sane..."

"I...I can see where you are coming from...people can be so cruel" Harleen was in deep thought over the man's words. Her mind was now burning from the ways that he looked at her. The way his eyes tracked her. The sound of his voice and even the little details of him tapping his fingers against the steel surface. Everything about the man was entrancing to her.

"Exactly! That's it! I knew that you were one of the smart ones. That's why he and I exist. The Bat and Me. He'll fight with everything he has in the misguided hope of making this city better while in reality, he's only been fighting just to keep it the same and from getting worse. I exist to show the world that the world we already live in is a lost cause. That's why we are destined to fight each other...not to show which one of our ideas will prevail, but simply because with...we can...whose going to stop us?"

"It's making sense. Without light...darkness is an abyss, without darkness...light is blinding. Where's the one, there will be the other..." Harleen observes.

"In other words. When there is the Bat...I'll be there and to have a few laughs on the way"

* * *

"..."

"...Bruce..."

"...Bruce..."

"Can you hear me...?"

"...Wake up..., Bruce..."

"Bruce!"

"...Talia?" Bruce whispers as his eyes open, his vision still blurry and sides sill arching. A took a couple of seconds, but his vision soon sharpened and before him sat Selina Kyle. His eyes look to her as he realizes that he was in an unfamiliar location. A well-kept room with a king-sized bed which he happened to be lying in. Selina was holding a soaked scrunched up towel to his forehead as she leans forward. Her green eyes look over him as she breathes a sigh of relief.

" I hope You know when I wished I could get you in my bed...this wasn't exactly what I had in mind..." Selina raises an eyebrow. Bruce moves his hand down to his stomach was a bloodstained bandage was wrapped around him. His eyes wince as he moves his hand across the concealed wound.

"...What happened...?" Bruce asks.

"You were stabbed and nearly bled out in the ally behind the GCPD. Also...I had to cut you out of that suit of yours...so yeah...it's ruined" Selina explains as she raises an eyebrow "But since I just saved your life. I hope you won't be too mad about that..."

Bruce sits up "No...I mean what happened to your hair? It's...black now?" Bruce holds his wound tightly. He looks to Selina whose once long blonde hair was now neck-long black. Selina's eyes widened at the man's remarks.

"In my line of work...let's just say the old hair just wasn't cutting it, also it's been like this for two months now...which you have known if you actually tried to talk to me...but you're always busy roaming above rooftops and scaring the hell out of criminals and almost getting killed - remember to add that one to the list..." Selina removes the towel from Bruce's head "Seriously? What the hell happened last night to put you into that situation? I thought you were supposed to have been trained by the world's greatest martial arts masters or something like that..."

"It was him..."

"Who would that be?" Selina asks.

"My doubleganger...he's back and working for the Court of Owls..." Bruce explains as he pulls the sheet off of his bottom half and tried to get up. Selina quickly moved and forced him back down with her hands "I need to get back out there...I can't let them take control of Gotham all over again..." Bruce tells the black-haired woman.

"Woah, hold on just a minute. Are you talking about the guy who pushed me out a window? Because if he's back...I didn't get payback on him" Selina bats her eyes as she finds herself leaning into the man under her "Where is he?"

"Don't think about it, Selina. He has all my training...the court made sure of that. If you fight him...you will die..." Bruce glares up to Selina.

"Cats have nine lives, remember? Unlike you, you should be grateful that I was in the area when I heard all the gunfire. Otherwise, you would be dead..." Selina taps him on the nose "Plus how are you even planning to go after him? You are in no condition, plus your suit is trashed" Selina tries to remind him.

"That suit was just a prototype...I had Lucius working on a new one...I need to get back out there..."

Selina showed a sign of annoyance at the man's stubbornness "You are sounding very confident for someone who was drowning in their own blood less than ten hours ago"

"I need to stop him before he hurts anyone else...I'm the only one who can..." Bruce's narrows his eyes as he moves the woman's hands off his chest "The Court of Owls were stopped before and I will make sure they will be again, and this time...they won't be returning" the man stands to his feet and holds the bandage that was covering his wound "If I don't stop them...Gotham will just become theirs's again...and they will kill whoever stands in their way! No other child is going to be put through that!"

"Fine! Whatever! Go out and get bloodied up again, just know I may not be there to save your ass again. And that if you are thinking of going to Gordon for help...the whole city thinks you were the one who killed those cops!" Selina throws a newspaper towards Bruce. The billionaire catches it and looks at the front page.

"Bat Vigilante blamed for the murder of cops...by Vicki Vale" Bruce scans through the newspaper "The whole city will be looking for Batman...I need to find Talon, stop the court and clear the Batman's name..." he throws the paper back onto Selina's bed. Bruce looks to the corner of the room where the cut-up remains of the Batsuit was. He kneels down and takes out an earpiece from the cowl. He presses it into his ear "Alfred, I need a ride back to Wayne Manner...also tell Lucius to prep the Batsuit 2.0"

"_Master Bruce, thank the lord that you are alive. You made me and Lucius bloody worried, right. I got your location and I'll there soon..._" Alfred replies to Bruce.  
"I would say that you should be careful, but I know you better than that" Selina directs towards him.

"I didn't spend the last ten years training just to be careful" Bruce responds.

"And I didn't wait for the last ten years for you to come home just to watch you get yourself killed!" Selina runs in front of him and pushes him back "After all we have been through...every painful moment that we shared...every second of suffering that we endured...you just left me with a letter - that I couldn't even read because my tears soaked the ink and paper. I only read halfway through it before it became unreadable!" she tells Bruce.

She looks up to her eyes could meet his own "And you can't even bring yourself to say Hi once you get back. You instead dress as a bat to scare lowlifes. Do you have any idea how inadequate that made me feel? How many nights a spent awake thinking about how worthless I was? Do you even know what that was like?"

"This isn't the time for this" Bruce tells the woman in front of him.

"It's never been the time with you lately. I want to get this Talon guy as much as you. Trust me...but if you are even thinking of going out there again to fight him...you are bringing me with you. We can do this together" Selina hisses at him.

"I don't think so. This is my fight. Talon has all my training...and none of my morals. He will kill you without a second thought! I will not have that on my shoulders...I am going alone, understood!" he growls back to Selina.

"You are just one man, Bruce. You can't save Gotham all by yourself! Gordon has been trying ever since that night in the ally and things haven't gotten better! The City has only gotten worse and just to go back to the normal Gotham that he was trying to save in the first place. Why are you so insistent on saving something that can't be saved?" Selina tries to appeal to the man's reason. She desperately tried to knock some sense into his thick skull.

"My parents believed in this city. They saw the good in it. The good in its people and they were gunned down for it. We saw the good too! When we were standing off against Bane and his men. We should have been killed, but the people of Gotham stood together! That was hope for the city! And that is what I fight for. Those people who choose to be good. Who decided to do the right thing even with the city being as it is. They need to know that the criminals of this city do not own it! I show the people that the filth of the city can be stood up to! That is what I fight for and is who I am. That is Batman"

"All the times that I helped you...all the times I told you to believe in yourself. If I knew that it would have led you down this path of yours...I would have done things differently. I'm sorry you had to become this, Bruce" Selina turns her back to him as she folds her arms "This feels like it was my fault. I failed you, Bruce..."

"Don't feel sorry for me. Save your sympathy for the Court and the Talon once I am through with them. They'll regret coming back to Gotham and crossing my path"

"Bruce! You are talking like a madman. Can you please just sit down and try to talk and you're gone, aren't you?" Selina turns only to see that Bruce had vanished along with the remains of his Batsuit "That dumbass is going to get himself killed..."

* * *

**[Arkham Asylum]**

"Hey let go of me!" Riddler yells as two guards push him into his cell, quickly locking the door behind him. Now dressed in the white and black stripped uniform he screams "Back in Arkham! Ed, how could you be such a fool? If it wasn't for that flying rodent I would still be a free man! He thinks that he is so much better than me? Well, I hope the Court kills him!" Riddler vents his frustration as he sits on the bed of the room "The Riddler defeated...how can this be?"

"Sounds like you are having a rough day, my friend" a voice comes from the next room along.

"That voice..." Riddler's eyes widened as fear washes all over his body "Jeremiah Valeska? Look about that thing about ramming the thing into your leg...I can explain..." he tries to explain while he stumbles over his words.

"Jeremiah who? He moved out a long time ago. I'm the new Tennent to this mind. Look, pal, water under the bridge. I'm guessing that Batman put an end to whatever party you had going, eh.?" the voice from the other room laughs.

"Batman? Is that he's called now? I'm going to devise the most elaborate conundrum to defeat him and prove to everyone that I am the strongest intellectual mind in all of Gotham!" Riddler forms his hand into a fist.

"Slow down there. You beat Batman? Now I thought that I was the one with the knack for making bad jokes" the voice ended with a couple of chuckles.

"Well J or whatever you call yourself. I will beat Batman! I am his greatest villain! I will prove that I am superior to him!" Riddler quickly shoots back.

"Sorry, J ain't home either. I finally figured it out...the hidden beauty that was trying to emerge. The beauty that I didn't understand until now. I see it all. The pointlessness of life...I see the funny side to the dull reality that we live in...I am Batman's greatest foe. This city is a wonderland of lunatics and Batman and I will become its main attractions. I feel it all ready to burst within me...bubbling...heating up...ready to pop at any moment...I can feel it..."

"Who are you then...?" Riddler asks nervously.

"...Why spoil the surprise...it deserves an audience to bear witness Ha Ha Ha..."

* * *

**The Batcave**

"Master, Bruce. You need to rest! Who knows how much blood you've lost!" Alfred calls over to Bruce. Bruce snaps his utility belt into place and pulls over his cowl. Batman now stood in his place. Wearing a new black suit covered with armour. Batman begins to walk over to a large monitor where he begins to type "Bruce! Bloody Hell! I thought you were dead...and you are just going to go back out there when the whole city is out looking for you? The Court is now on your back! What can you do?" Alfred tries to get the man's attention.

"I'll win. That's what I'll do. I'll show them that this is my city" Batman replies as he searches through the files on the monitor.

"How the bloody hell are you planning on doing that? The Court of Owls is a secret society for a reason. They will be almost impossible to find if not. It could take weeks!" Alfred calls back.

"Talon said that they have been in Gotham ever since the city was being reconstructed. That's around ten years...which means there has to be some information on them somewhere, and there is only one person in the city that would know it. Roman Sionis aka Black Mask: biggest crime boss in Gotham for the last 8 years. He lays back while he gets his men to do the dirty work. Almost impossible to find. Commissioner Gordon has been trying to find Black Mask for years...though he has only managed to find three of his men" Batman explains as he turns and begins to walk away from Alfred.

"Where are you going?" the older man asks.

"I think it's about time that Roman met The Batman. Once the Court knows that I am looking for them...they are bound to come to me. And this time. Talon will be the one crawling away" the dark knight adds.  
"Bruce! These are the same people who had your parents killed. Please tell me that you aren't planning to..." Alfred shouts out to the caped crusader.

"I'm not planning to kill them...but they are going to wish that I was" Batman yells back as he grabs the grapple gun from the workbench "The Court ordered the hit on my parents. Defeating them will be the only to know if I am the one meant to save this city. End of discussion. They may have intimidated Bruce Wayne as a kid, but this time. Batman is going to be the one who will show them fear!"

"I bet Oliver Queen's butler doesn't have to put up with this..." Alfred sighs.


	4. Talon

** Talon**

* * *

**[Gotham Central Hospital] **

"This was a massacre. Twenty-three of our officers ruthlessly murdered, killed like animals. All because we trusted that freak with the ears and cape. All because you said that we should call him a friend! And look where it has gotten us. He comes into our station and kills our men and women!" Harvey looks to Jim. Both men stood in out in the middle of the hall.

"Something doesn't seem right here. What reason would he have to do this...so far he has only targeted criminals, and even then...he hasn't killed any one of them" Jim places his hands on his hips as he turns his head to look to his friend. He breathes in "I think he might have been framed..."

"Jim! Listen to yourself. We are talking about a guy who dresses up like a bat! Maybe he finally snapped or something. You cannot tell me that a perfectly normal person would go out and do the things that he does. I should have seen it sooner. It was only a matter of time before he went crazy" Harvey hastily counters.

"Harv, I understand how you are feeling. You feel responsible. And you are carrying all the weight on your shoulders...but we need to think clearly about this. You are a detective. So we need to find out why and how this happened" Jim places a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"You understand? You understand? I spent all night calling the families of the cops that he murdered. Do you know what it is like to hear the same gasps and breakdown over and over? Hearing every single tear, every single heart-stopping deafening silence. I can tell you, Jim. That's not a fun time. Hearing "How am I going to tell the kids?" was the one that got me the most, and I heard that more than enough times in one night then I would ever have liked" Harvey pulls off Jim's hand from his shoulder "...So don't act like you know how it feels, okay?" Harvey growls.

"They managed to stabilize Harper. She might be able to tell us something about this whole thing once she wakes up" Jim tries to reason with his partner.

"That could take days, Jim. We are getting this son of a bitch! I have S.W.A.T teams all over the city looking out for him. If he is stupid enough to show his face around this city...we will get him!" Harvey adds.  
"Target sighting confirmed! I got eyes on the target!"

Harvey looks down to the communicator in hand "Looks like he really is that stupid. Come on, Jim. Let's bag him"

* * *

**[Underground]**

"You did well, 514A. You may be the who is destined to save Gotham after all..." a masked woman in a red dress looks over to the Talon. Talon was currently bandaging his wounds. His eyes look to the woman "It is the court's duty to oversee Gotham, never to reveal ourselves to it. But times have changed. People want a savior, that is why they so quickly took a liking to The Batman even with his violent ways. The people of this city are in such need for a hero, and such Bruce Wayne cannot be allowed to be that hero. You must become the true Dark Knight of the city. And as you rise so will we..." the woman walks around Talon as she keeps her eyes on him.

"When I was first created. I thought I was meant to become Bruce Wayne...however...my true destiny was to become the savior that he refuses to be. The true hero that Gotham deserves. That is the will of my creators which I have inherited. Gotham has proven time and time again that it cannot be saved. The people have chosen the path of cowardice and to deny the truth of what must be done. The only way for Gotham to be saved is for it to burn and with it will arise a much more worthy world...a world where I stand guard...where I will protect the innocent and judge the guilty..." Talon forms his hand into a fist "Batman would never understand what must be done...that is why I must kill him..."

"In due time. We must make the city hate him first...despise him. Until they are willing to accept you as their new savior" the woman explains.

"He is going to be looking for us. And he will not rest until he finds us" Talon replies as senses that the woman was staring at him.

"Then let him...we have plans for him...now go and play" the woman caresses Talon's shoulders "Go and be Gotham's hero"

* * *

"Please for the love of god don't kill me!" a man screams as he was hanging over the edge of a building with a grapple line wrapped around his leg. Batman stood on the roof as he stares down to the man. His eyes narrow as he kneels down on the edge.

"**If you don't want me to drop you, then talk! Where is Black Mask?!**" Batman calls down, clearly out of patience.

"No way! He would kill me if I talked!" the man calls back up as he panics.

"**He might kill you, but you will definitely wish that I would if you don't start talking right now!**"

"Okay, Okay! He's...at the skyline Club with his men! There is no way that you can get to him now! The whole city is now looking for you. And Black Mask is ready for you to show up! Going there is suicide!" the man calls up to the dark knight "You are a dead man! You hear me? You are a dead man walking! You think that you could just show up out of the blue and defeat Gotham's underworld? They may hate each other, but lately, they have all agreed on one thing! You have to go!"

"**Thanks for the information. Enjoy the view**" Batman stands up.

"Wait! Pull me back up! My head is getting dizzy!" the man begs.

Quickly the door to the roof was barged open as four S.W.A.T officers come on to the roof along with Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon. They all line up as Harvey pulls out his gun and aims it at Batman "GCPD! Hands in the air or we will shoot!" Harvey yells. Jim and the other officers also aim their weapons at the dark knight "We finally got you! You are going to pay for what you did to our people! I should have never trusted you" Harvey's eyes lock on his target.

"Hands in the air or we will open fire!" Jim warns Batman.

Batman slowly turns around to Jim and Harvey **"I did not kill those officers. Riddler was working for the Court of Owls! The Talon was the one who attacked your people. By the time I got to the GCPD...it was too late**" he explains as he secretly reaches into his belt.

"Wait! The Court of Owls? How do you know about them...?" Jim lowers his weapon.

"Jim? What are you doing! Keep your weapon on him!" Harvey yells.

Batman throws a small black ball onto the roof. Smoke begins to be released from it as the whole roof was quickly engulfed in it "FIRE!" Harvey commands which he and the four other officers followed as they quickly shoot at the smoke-filled area. Jim quickly looks around the roof as he tries to find the dark knight.

"**The Court is back in Gotham. Watch your back; you may be a Target**" Gordon quickly turns as he sees a shadowy figure run towards the edge of the roof. Batman's cape swooshes around before he leaps off of the building. The smoke faded enough for the roof to be clear enough to see.

Jim quickly runs to the edge of the roof only to see that he had vanished. Harvey walks up to him "What the hell was that? You just let him get away!" the grizzled man chastises the commissioner. Jim slowly looks at Harvey.

"The Court of Owls...that's what he said. If they are back...he may be the only one who can stop them..." Jim reluctantly tells Harvey.

* * *

**The Skyline Club**

Roman Sionis aka the Black Mask stood in front of the glass window of the club. Dressed in a pure white suit and a black skull-shaped mask he looks out to the city "Gotham...is it not beautiful at night?" he comments, arms held behind back "Or that was what I use to say four months ago, before our friend arrived in town and started prancing around the place as he owns it" Black Mask turns his head to see two people sat in the seats behind him "Our little Bat problem. Taking out my men and costing me millions. I heard it has been the same with you. I say it's about time we dealt with him..."

"And how do you propose that we do that?" a dark-haired woman dressed in an all black suit who was holding a glass full of wine asks "Last time I checked. The whole underworld of Gotham is in hiding because of this guy. I can't find anyone who would be brave enough to take him on..." Sofia Falcone adds to her prior question.

Tony Zucco nods in agreement with Sofia "There is no one in Gotham that can even come close to taking down the Bat. Some of my men are even scared to go outside because they are convinced that he is always lurking in the shadows"

Black Mask turns to face the two other crime lords "So what now? Are you going to run away like a coward? Because I worked tooth and nail to take this city for myself...and I will not give it up just because someone comes barging into my city and cost me millions. See I have a problem with that...all my hard work just going to waste. Us three rule all of Gotham...not the mayor, not the GCPD and definitely not the bat. We built this city up from the pile of ash that it was left as...and will continue to do so!"

Sophia sips from her glass "So let me get this straight...you have a plan to kill the bat? I'm all for it...considering that it can actually work" she raises an eyebrow as she awaits an answer from the man. She sets her glass aside on the table next to her.

"This world is full of those freaks...those so-called Heroes. All the way from Metropolis to the bloody ocean. You know what makes the bat so unique? He's just a man in a suit! He's not bulletproof, he's not faster than the eye can see, he can't shoot an arrow and he certainly cannot talk to fish...this is just one man. Who can bleed and who can die...who will die" Black Mask responds as he slides a file over to the other two people. Tony Zucco grabs the file and opens it.

"What the hell is this...this is crazy?" Tony questions.

Sophia snatches the file off of the man and gives her own opinion "I can't believe that I'm agreeing with Mr. Receding Hairline here, but this is complete madness, plus it would cost a fortune" she throws the file back onto the table "Which can only mean one thing...you're desperate" Sophia smiles with a firm smugness.

They all quickly look towards the door of the penthouse as loud gunfire could be heard from outside along with screaming and a lot of it. Sophia's eyes widen as she stands up "The Bat! He's here!" she comments as both she and Tony look over to Black Mask.

"The Bat would not let us hear their screams..." Black Mask takes notice.

"Then who the hell is outside?" Zucco asks.

"You don't want to know" Black Mask responds as he quickly pulls a handgun out of his blazer.

The door to the penthouse was knocked off its hinges as the Talon walks in, covered in splatters of blood. His eyes lock on to the three crime lords. He raises the two bloodied daggers that he was holding to be level with his chest. His blue-chromic eyes look over all three of them "Roman Sionis, Sophia Falcone and Tony Zucco...for your crimes against the city of Gotham. You have all been sentenced to...death" Talon announces as he sees the handgun that Black Mask was holding.

"So you finally decided to come after me? I hate to break it you, but you are not invited to this gathering of ours. See, I was hoping to save this surprise for the bat if he even made the mistake of coming here, but I guess that you'll have to do! Croc, old boy. Show our friend what we think of party crashers!" Black Mask yells out.

Talon gives a confused look to Black Mask "Who were you talking to?" he asks as a large reptilian hand punches through the floor and grabs his foot. The hand pulled him down and through the floor. Talon was thrown across the room and collided with the wall to the room; cracking it. Talon shakes his head as he sees a large monstrous creature walking towards him. A dark-green reptile humanoid figure stood in front of him. The creature grabs Talon by the throat and pushes him against the same wall.

"Ohhh...did that hurt?" Killer Croc breaths over Talon.

"No" Talon responds as he plunges one of his daggers into the beast's hand. Killer Croc yelps as he releases his grip on Talon. The owl-themed fighter rolls out of the way as Croc slams his foot down on the ground. Talon stands on his knees as he pulls out a new pair of daggers "But I can't feel my lower back...so I'm not too sure..." he adds as he quickly runs forward. Croc grins as he swipes at Talon who easily slides out of the way and under croc's legs where he used one of his daggers to slice the creatures' leg.

"How cute" Croc laughs as he rams his fist into the ground. Talon rolls out of the way as he barely dodges the blow. Croc looks over his shoulder where he sees the Talon leap onto his feet as he readies his daggers for another attack. Killer Croc turns around and laughs "To be honest. I was hoping for the bat, but you will be fine. Your flesh will taste the same and you will die the same"  
"Batman demands to be feared, but I demand to be respected" Talon shoots back as he throws his daggers at Killer Croc. The reptilian beast easily just knocked them away as he begins to walk forward. Talon runs forward and throws a punch at Croc.

"And I want to gnaw on your bones" Killer Croc laughs as he grabs Talon's fist. Talon's eyes narrow as a blade ejects out of his boot. He kicks upward and cuts all the way up Killer Croc's stomach; creating a trail of blood in its path. Killer Crock's eyes narrow as his large hands grabbed the Talon's torso as he begins to squeeze. Killer Croc growls "Oh boy. Now you've done it!"  
"Agreed" Talon breaths heavily as he rams his head forward and headbutts Killer Croc. The beast released its grip on the Talon; letting him fall back onto the ground. Talon pulls out the sword from his back and looks at his target "I shall slay you"

"Many have tried...all have died trying" Killer Crock laughs.

"None of them were me" Talon shot back as he swings his blade at the creature. Croc steps back as the sword cuts across his chest. The beast's eyes widen in surprise at the sight of his new wound. Talon took notice of that and quickly swung again. This time cutting across croc's shoulder. And with another swing; the beast's stomach was slashed again. Killer Crock kneels down as he holds his wounds.  
"Wait! I had enough, I give up!" Croc pleads as dribbles blood.

"I play for keeps" Talon lifts his blade and aligns it with Croc's heart "A strange creature that you. You are still a criminal and it is my mission to kill you. To eradicate your kind from Gotham. For your crimes against Gotham and its people...I sentence you death!" Talon yells as he prepares to force his sword through the beast's chest. Talon's eyes widen as he sees a shadow fly past him. Quickly turning around he sees a shadow quickly descending upon him from outside "You don't know when to quit, do you?" he thinks to himself.

The windows shatter into shards of glass as the dark knight glides through. His eyes settling upon Talon. Batman stands up "**Here you are. Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you down**" he then throws a Batarang towards Talon who easily sliced it in half with his sword.

"Nice suit. Quite the upgrade, but don't think that you are safe" Talon returns the sword to his back "See this piece of filth? This is what you are letting roam around Gotham! Think of all the people he has murdered! There is only one way to deal with a monster like him...but you will never accept it. Your foolish code will always prevent you from being the true hero that this city is in desperate need for. That's why I must take your place like this city's dark knight...I can do what needs to be done! What you refuse to do!"

"**No. You were made to replace me so the court could have complete control of Gotham. You were made just to be their tool and that's all you will ever be. You are here just because I was strong enough to fight against the court. You on the other hand...you will always be their puppet. A means to an end**" Batman coldly tells the Talon. The Dark Knight readies himself as he lifts his fists it up as he and the Talon slowly pace around each other.

"Maybe, but that's all I ever had and have known. You wouldn't understand" Talon grabs his sword as he and Batman continue to steadily circle each other "How's that wound of yours? You lost a lot of blood back there. I can't believe that you can still stand after that...unlike me. You feel pain. You are held back by your own mortality..." Talon observes.

"**And you are held back your arrogance**" Batman shot back.

"Shut up!" Talon swings his sword at Batman who used his gauntlet to block. The blade slices across the armored glove; scratching it. Batman side steps and throws a punch towards the other man's stomach. Talon uses his right hand to grab hold of the first. Talon's boot ejects a blade which he then kicks upward towards Batman's stomach. The Dark Knight quickly raises his knee to block the blade. Batman then headbutts Talon; knocking him back and making him stumble.

"What the..." Talon whispers.

"Y**ou can't use the same tricks as last time**" Batman comments as he lunges forward, he spins on his knees and sends an uppercut towards Talon. The owl-themed character jumps back out of the way as he grabs a dagger from his chest with his spare hand. He kicks Batman in his chest which the dark knight took head one. Talon then takes a swipe with the dagger which Batman used a Batarang to knock out of his hand. The Talon then swung with his blade. Batman steps back and dodges the sword.

Batman then side-steps while using a Batarang to cut across Talon's shoulder. The dark knight then moves behind Talon and kicks his back; knocking the Talon forward. He then leaps forward and jumps high enough to slice Talon across his back "**All these years that you were training to become me. You may have all my skills...you may have my intelligence...but you are missing the most important thing to be me...!**" the dark knight tells Talon.

"And what would that be then?" Talon asks as he prepared himself to go on the attack. He turns on his heel and swings towards Batman. The dark knight slides out of the way and yanks the sword out of the talon's hands. Batman uses both of his hands to snap the blade in two; dropping it to the floor "**I endure the pain...the suffering. You just ignore it**" he explains as he looks to Talon who slowly turns around while holding a new set of daggers.

"Well in that case...let's just how much pain that you can really endure" Talon growls as he charges head-first into the dark knight. His head hitting his stomach as Talon rams him out of the broken window; causing them both to fall above the streets of Gotham. Batman's eyes widen as he spreads out his cape as he glides across the streets of Gotham.

Eventually, Batman rolls onto another rooftop. He looks around at his surroundings seeing that Talon had vanished "**That beast must have damaged his body more than he thought. Talon gave a much better fight last night"**

"**Alfred, when hunting down Black Mask...I ran into the Talon. It looks like Talon was trying to kill Black Mask"** Batman informs the man on the other end.

"_Oh my, are you alright?_" Alfred asks concerned.

"**I'm fine, Alfred. It seems that Talon bit off more than he could chew. It seems that he was fighting a large crocodile shaped man. I got there just before Talon could kill him. As well Black Mask was already gone. I'm back to square one**" Batman looks over to the Skyline Club.

_"What are you planning to do now?_" Alfred follows up.

"**Now that the Court of Owls has made an attempt on Sionis' life; I'm sure that he would be more willing to talk about the information that he has on them. I'm sure that he has gone into hiding so finding him will be harder than before. Alfred, I'm returning back to the Batcave. There has to be some footage of the Skyline Club. Maybe that can let me know where he went**" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and aims it at the next building along.

_"Should I make some tea, master Bruce?"_

Batman was launched across buildings as he begins to glide.

* * *

**[Underground]**  
Talon breaths heavily as he holds his sides "I am having trouble breathing...is that normal?" he asks as he lays on a metal gurney. His eyes look up to the masked woman in the red dress as she cups his mask with her palm.

"It seems the damage to your body has become severe, 514A. Your body is dying..." the woman tells him.

"He's right...I would never have been able to replace him...he was meant to guard Gotham..." Talon breaths heavily.

"No, no, no, no,...no. not at the moment, but soon you shall become the one who is destined to be the darkest knight..." the woman takes hold of the talon's hand "You were never meant to stay as the Talon forever...you will be reborn as a true equal to Batman...and then you can claim your place as Gotham's darkest Knight..." the woman looks down where a large green pool was. She tightens her grip on his hand "The Lazarus pit shall repair your body and improve your mind. Not even Batman will be able to stop you, 514A"

"I'm...scared..."

"That will all be gone once you awake..." the woman reassures him "You will become our knight. Our creature of the night...our warrior"

* * *

**Chapter End**


	5. Arrival

**Arrival **

* * *

**Gotham Docks **

"Please for the love of god, I'm sorry! I won't bother you again, I swear. Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" A man screams as he was shoved onto the ground. A woman walks over the man's body. Her green eyes look over to Wayne Tower that was in the distance. A small smile forms on her lips as she walks across the docks. The woman has long brunette hair and wears a zipped-up black leather jacket and tight-fitting leather jeans with black strapped boots.

"Don't let me see your face again or I will kill you" she warns the man as he jumps to his feet and runs away from her in a panic. The woman's green eyes turn to face the city once more "This is Gotham: the city that my father once told me about. Well, my love, it is time for me to see if you have become the dark knight of his visions and if you are worthy to rule the league of shadows by my side..." Talia observes the bright neon lights of the city at night. She walks towards the city with her eyes fixated on the large Wayne tower. She soon walks among the streets of Gotham. Looking at every single detail that she could.

Talia al Ghul looks at the people that she walks past. Some looked to be healthy enough, but others. Some looked filthy, homeless and scared. Her eyes find themselves looking at a group of children stood around a garbage can that was on fire as they put their hands to it in an attempted to get warm. Most of the streets stunk of drugs and alcohol and the people in the area all look at her, taking notice of her presence. They seemed harmless enough and even if they wanted to cause trouble; they would be nothing against her.

She lifts her head towards a three-story building next to her. She leaps up and grabs hold of the bars of the fire escape. Pulling herself up, she jumps up to the ladder to the next level of the platform. With one more leap, she stands on the roof of the building. Looking onward at the large lit tower across the city "My love, are you truly ready for what you must do? Of what comes next in your journey...for the scarifies that must make" the woman looks over Gotham.

* * *

"Are you sure that he didn't do it?" Lee Tompkins asks the man sat beside her. Both she and Jim Gordon were sat next to each on their couch. Jim loosens his tie before he pulls it off. He looks over to his wife and shrugs as he gives a look of uncertainty which Lee quickly picked up on. She brushes her hand against his knee "Jim, as much as I hate to admit it. When it comes to you and your gut feelings...you are usually right to go with what you think is true"

"Okay. I am almost certain that he didn't kill those cops, but someone else did. He told me that it was some guy named Talon and that the court of owls is back in town. He even warned me to watch my back as they might come after me. Those don't sound like the actions of a guilty man" Jim sighs as he stands up and picks up a pair of empty wine glasses "Plus if the court is really back in Gotham...that means they are the same guys to killed my father..." Jim walks off into the kitchen.

"If they are back then won't that make Bruce a target too? I remember that he ruffled their feathers at one point. You should probably go to see him in the morning to give him a heads up. He has that party tomorrow at Wayne Tower which he invited us to" Lee calls out from the other room while Gordon sets the glasses on the kitchen counter. He picks up a wine bottle and begins to pour it into the glasses.

"Alright. I'll talk to him then, though I don't know if I will even be able to reach him. Lately, he has become almost impossible to reach. He's always busy. He doesn't make time to talk to his friends and it's like he is purposely avoiding us. Barbra told me how Selina hasn't even heard from him, which doesn't sound like him. He's a far cry from the young man that I use to know back in the day. It's honestly making me think that he is a completely different person now" Jim fills up both glasses.

"So he's taking his work seriously and running his company responsibly. You can't expect Bruce to be prowling around the streets of Gotham and stopping crimes like you. He's trying to put that behind him and is trying to move on with his life" Lee looks over as Jim walks back into the room with the glasses in hand. He sets them on the table and takes a seat next to his wife. Lee grabs one of the wine glasses and takes a sip "I've seen this sort of thing before. Bruce is just making up for all the years that he wasn't here. He is going to put his heart and soul into his company until he feels that he has done enough"

"I know that he didn't get to have a normal childhood, but the whole playboy thing...the Bruce I knew would always find a way to stay with his friends. It's just hard to believe that he has grown up so much" Jim lifts his own glass.

"He did leave Gotham for ten years. Who knows what he got up to. Jim, people change. That doesn't mean that Bruce isn't still the same person as he was before" Lee smiles to her husband. Gordon nods as he drinks from his glass.

"You're right. I'm just happy that he finally managed to move on. I almost envy him..." Jim comments.

"Anyway, didn't you mention something about a crocodile-shaped man? That I want to hear about" Lee smiles.

* * *

"With all due respect, Master Bruce...you can be a complete wanker sometimes. All that work that Miss Kyle did to seal you wound...you just bloody undone with all that fisty cuffs tonight" Alfred tells Bruce as he warps a new bandage around his stomach "If it wasn't for your clone already being hurt by that creature...well I fear that you might have actually died" the grey-haired man expresses his worry to Bruce.

"I could have taken him at his best. I would have won if he didn't run. He may not be able to feel the pain that he is in, but he's ought to feel the troubled breathing and broken bones that he has. Most likely he's planning of laying low until he can recover...I need to find Black Mask and make him tell me all that he knows about the court..." Bruce tells Alfred.

The butler rolls his eyes "That's all very well then, isn't it? You have to find the hidden group by finding a hidden crime lord. Sounds very peachy, and defiantly not like a shot in the dark. From the files, Black Mask has also remained in the shadows and has his men do all the work...this night of him at the skyline club? That was a one-time thing and with him knowing that the court wants him dead? Well I think it is going to become even more of a challenge to locate him now, dare I say...impossible"

"Black Mask it the only lead that we have at the moment...he's the only shot of finding the court..." Bruce stands up as he presses his hand against the new bandage over his stomach as he limps all the way to the bat-computer. He sits down in the large black chair placed in front of it. Bruce's eyes widen "The Court must have its eyes and ears everywhere so Black Mask can't risk leaving Gotham since the Court would be expecting for him to try and leave the city"

"Gotham is still a large city, sir. Black Mask could be anywhere. It will be like finding a needle in a haystack " Alfred stands next to Bruce.

"I don't have a choice. I need to find Black Mask before the court can complete their plans" Bruce looks up to the large monitor as a video file pops up "I hacked into the Skyline Club's footage. I should be able to gather some clues on where Black Mask seems to be hiding..."

"Well then...that's good, however, I regret to remind you that Bruce Wayne will be needed for tomorrow" Alfred coughs as he turns to Bruce.

"What for?" the man asks.

"Oh my...you have forgotten, haven't you?" Alfred gestures "You ever so graciously accepted your invite to the Wayne Enterprises ball and have also ever so kindly invited Gordon, Lee and miss Kyle to join you" Alfred folds his arms behind his back as he sees Bruce look to him in confusion.

"I never accepted any invite or sent any out"

"As your humble butler, I chose to accept the invite on your behalf. I know how much you can become lost in your work so I thought best for you to get out and to talk to your friends" Alfred raises an eyebrow. Bruce rolls his eyes.

"I would love to, Alfred. But the crisis at hand seems more important than the yearly ball" Bruce argues.

"Look at it this way. For Batman to remain in the shadows, Bruce Wayne must take his place in the light as the son of Gotham. People are going become suspicious if you keep yourself in absolute secrecy. Batman may keep the criminals of Gotham in fear, but only Bruce Wayne can keep the citizens of Gotham in hope. I doubt Black Mask is planning to show himself anytime soon, so it's time you gave yourself a rest" Alfred speaks to Bruce in a rational tone.

"Alright, Alfred. You win, but if Gotham becomes endangered tomorrow; you are going to be the one in the Batsuit" Bruce jokes.

"I wouldn't want to show you up, Master B" Alfred smiles.

* * *

**[Arkham Asylum]**

Edward Nygma, the Riddler found himself sitting at one of the empty tables in the open area of the ward. Dressed in the Arkham uniform and with his glasses on. He sat alone with his mind focused on one single thing. The one person that plagued his mind and haunted his dreams "The dark knight dare challenged me? I would have won if the court didn't get in my way...I would have defeated him...". Riddler uses his nails to scratch question marks in the table.

The other inmates roam about the room, paying no attention to him. Riddler was so caught up in his aggression that he did not hear the gate to the room open "When I get out of here...I will challenge him, and this time...I will win...I will..." he grinds his teeth.

"I hope that I'm not interrupting, after all, I know how awarding plotting an evil scheme can be" a voice calls out from behind the Riddler. Ed tries to look behind him, but he stops as he feels a pair of hands on his shoulders "I've had a couple in my day" J laughs as he sits down beside the Riddler. He slowly turns to Ed with a big smile on his face "How are you doing?" he laughs.  
"How the hell are you allowed out of your cell?" Riddler grits his teeth as he looks at the grotesque man sat beside him.

"The good doctor said that I was of no risk to myself or the other inmates. I got to say if every other doctor was as easy going as her...I might actually go more often" J chuckles lightly as he holds up his hands which appeared to be cuffed together "Of course. They want to see for themselves, which I feel is a little overkill. I mean if they wanted to handcuff me...I can think of a couple more pleasurable ways to do it" J smirks as he sees a sweat drop from Ed's forehead.

"What do you want?" Ed asks nervously.

"Glad that you asked" J leans on the table "See you are a man with an obsession and I can respect that. You want the world to see you as a genius, an artist even. I want the same. I want the world to laugh along with me. For them to see my true beauty. My passion" J chuckles as his eyes narrow "Soon we are all going to paint the streets of Gotham in crazy and when we do...he will come. He will come for us in hopes of saving the city, but he won't...because it's already lost. He just hasn't realized it yet, but he will...he will..."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Ed questions as he rolls his eyes.

J leans closer to Ed and grins "The seeds have already been planted...all that is needed is for my little sunflower to bloom..." the man looks over to the cage were Dr Harleen Quinzel was walking past. She looks over to J as their eyes meet. A smile forms on Harleen's lips as she leaves the view of both J and Ed "She still needs a bit of work, but I am confident that once I have finished with her...she will be my finest work yet" J answers.

"Really? Your big elaborate plan is to sweet talk another one? I hate to break it to you, J. But you are nowhere near the charmer that you use to be, plus she is a psychologist. How the hell are going to seduce her? She'll figure out what you are trying to do unless she already knows" Ed sighs as he face-palms.

"Never underestimate the power of daddy issues my friend. They are the mother of all mind tricks... I guess *father of* would be a more accurate term..." J laughs as he nudges Ed's shoulders "That was a joke. Feel free to laugh...or not, I will though" the man chuckles "Do you know that Dr. Quinzel uses to do gymnastics a while back? She was top of her class...she is such a sweet woman. But she is lonely...she is in need for someone...she is screaming at the world that has left her alone...so much so that she works in a mental asylum to talk to the inmates. All those crazy people can't be too good for her mind, I think she has already been broken...all she needs now is a little...push..."

"After All...the craziest of people are the ones who don't even realize that they are mad..."

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Here we are" Jim and Lee walk into the crowded room full of people dressed in fancy clothes. Lee was in a black long dress while Gordon wore one of his standard suits. Lee looks around as she sees the large hall was practically full of people with multiple tables full of refreshments "This place is packed" Lee comments as she smiles, dragging Jim around the hall.

"Well this is the first one in ten years...so I can imagine the excitement that it brings" Jim looks around and spots Alfred. He steadily walks over to the older man. Alfred turns his head and holds out his hand to the commissioner "Alfred, is Bruce here? I need to talk to him" Jim asks as he shakes the other man's hand.

"And what would that be about?" Alfred asks curiously.

"It's a little too dangerous for us to be talking out in the open. Do you know where Bruce is?" Jim inquires.

"He was scheduled to be speaking at the beginning ceremony...which was over twenty minutes ago. It seems that Master Bruce has found himself in somewhat of a delay at the moment" Alfred explains to Gordon as he smiles.

"He's been getting delayed ever since he returned to Gotham. I hope he's not trying to avoid me...if it goes on any longer; I might start taking it personally" Jim rubs his nose as he looks back to his wife as she seemed to talk to a black-haired woman "Bruce does know that even though he's not a kid anymore, that he can still talk to me. I still think of him as a friend even with his absence. Just let him know that I have to talk to him and its urgent" Jim walks off as he returns to Lee.

"Believe me. I will let him have it when he shows up" Alfred comments.

"Good, thank you" Jim nods.

Barbara Kean looks over and sees the commissioner heading towards Lee. The redhead smiles as she makes her way after him "Jim. I didn't think of you as a ballroom type" she comments; causing Jim to look over to her with a smile. He folds his arms as the redhead walks over to him and Lee "Good to see you, Lee"

"Thank you. It's good to see you too, Barbara. How's the little one?" Lee asks in a friendly tone.

"She's tiring...you sure that you can handle her tomorrow? She's been talking about that Bat-guy ever since...well you...know. She thinks that he is a hero...she even made a cape out of cutting up one of my shirts. She fancies herself a right Batgirl if you can believe it" Barbara rolls her eyes as she sees Selina Kyle standing next to Lee. Barbara smiles towards black-haired woman "Selina, have you seen Bruce? It's weird how he doesn't even want to show for his own party"

"He has never shown up for any event since he got back. So I don't why you are acting so surprised. If he wanted to be here...he would be" Selina was almost spitting the words out. Lee gave a quick look to Barbara with a concerned look in her eyes.

"She's kind of sensitive about Bruce. I probably shouldn't have asked her now that I think of it" Barbara quickly interjects.

"If you knew that he wasn't going to show then why did you come here?" Lee asks the younger woman.

"Because I was really hoping to be proven wrong" Selina sighs as she walks off and away from the three.

"Didn't I just mention that she sensitive?" Barbra looks over to Lee.

Alfred walks up to Lucius "Lucius, where is Bruce? And please don't say what I think that you are going to say"

Lucius throws his hands up "Hey, I'm just his tech guy. You try to stop him from going out and doing...his thing. I personally don't make a habit of pissing off guys that can whoop my ass in a second". Lucius straightens his tie as he smiles "He said that an alarm was tripped in the bank of Gotham and that he was going to investigate. He should be back any minute"

"You know when Bruce first told me about what he had planned when he was to return to Gotham. I thought it was completely crazy...but I trusted Bruce to do what had to be done and what he thought was right. But lately...I'm starting to think that we may have made a mistake in supporting Bruce in this endeavor of his" Alfred confesses to the other man.

"I know what you mean, he's so driven to save the city that he's almost like a man possessed" Lucius admits.

"Dare I say it. I don't think the same Bruce Wayne returned. I often ask about his travels, but he always ends our conversation and says how he doesn't want to talk about what happened out there. With that and the Court now back in Gotham...Bruce must be on edge with everything" the butler adds as he and Lucius look at they see a faint shadow pass over the windows of the floor that showed the outside world.

"I'll catch him up on the night," Lucius says as he heads out of the room.

* * *

Selina stood outside on the balcony of the floor as she looks up to the night sky. She breaths in as she sees the lights of Gotham at night. A beautiful sight that showed her hope for the city that has lived in all her life. She rolls her eyes as she sees something move at the corner of her eyes "So you showed up, after all, I convinced that you wouldn't since you act so high and mighty about protecting Gotham. Tell me, how goes the hunt for the Talon? Did you find him yet?" Selina asks.

"I fought him last night, but he got away. He was seriously damaged so he might lay low for now until he can fully recover...until then I doubt that the court will make another move. However, I can't take that risk. I've been trying to locate Black Mask in order to gather information on the court" Batman replies from the shadows.

"That's something I guess. Do you even know what they are planning to do?" Selina asks the shadowed figure.

"I don't know everything yet, but from the way that Talon was speaking. It sounds like the court wants him to take my place as Gotham's protector, just a more extreme version" Batman tells the woman what he knows about the whole situation.

"And why would they want to reveal themselves to the world? That goes against the whole secret society thing of theirs" Selina shakes her head.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to rest until I find out...I'll sees you in the party" Selina looks up and as expected. Batman had vanished and she has left on her own once again.

"Selina? Who are you talking to? I thought that I heard Bruce?" Jim asks as he steps outside to join her as he sees it was just her and no one else. Selina turns around to greet the older man. She shrugs her shoulders and acts confused at his words.

"No one is here, except for me. That's why I came out here" Selina tilts her head.

"Alright, you don't have to stay out here. You do have friends in there, plus hopefully, Bruce should arrive shortly" Jim smiles.

"Bruce? I'm sick and tired of everyone thinking that my whole life revolves around Bruce. He's not the most important thing to me...especially after he left me" Selina walks past Jim as she storms off. Jim sighs as he looks to the entrance to the room.

"Oh, right. She's sensitive about Bruce..." he thinks to himself.

* * *

**[Arkham Asylum]**

J sits in a chair with his legs crossed, looking up to the television that was wired to the wall. His lips curve into a grin "Come on, Bruce. Don't be shy" he snickers. The TV showed the Wayne Enterprises ball and with the camera aimed at an empty stage. Moments passed and none other than Bruce Wayne steps onto the stage as he waves to the crowd. J begins to slowly laugh as he sees Bruce take the stand "There you are" J comments as Bruce begins to speak.

"_As you know...I had this tower constructed after we were forced to destroy the old tower in the hopes of stopping the siege of Gotham ten years ago. Though many memories were indeed lost with it, I feel that it is up to us to create new ones that are worthy of the Wayne name. So I have fully committed Wayne Enterprises to the improvement of Gotham with that either be more funding to the brave men and women in uniform of the GCPD or to improve the treatment at Arkham Asylum and_..."

"How caring of you...much apricated" J laughs while Harleen Quinzel walks up behind him.

From the other side of the room. Ed looks up from the table where he saw the blonde woman stand behind the deformed man. Squinting his eyes. Ed notices that she seemed to be holding a small knife in her right hand. He slowly leans over the table to get a closer look "What the...?" Ed whispers.

"_My parents made it their duty to serve the people of Gotham and to try and improve the living conditions as much as they could. It is now my turn to serve both Gotham and its people. I hope that we as a city can come together and show my parents that their actions were not vain and that they were right to believe in Gotham..._"

"Oh...poor Bruce. You are still living in denial even after all these years...that's not good at all..." J smirks.

"Uh...Mr.J?" Harleen nervously asks.

"Yes, Harley? I'm in the middle of something, can't you see?" J sighs as he turns to face the blonde doctor. She slowly reaches out with her hand and smirks "I got what you asked for...". J takes hold of the knife and hides it within his shoe.

"Thank you, Harley. By the way, you are looking every so precious today" J compliments.

"Thank you. Uh...also don't forget. Our next appointment is tomorrow at three. I'm...looking forward to it..." Harley smiles as she then leaves J on his own as she exits the area and continues on her way.  
"Don't worry. I'm sure that it is going to be a...killer" J chuckles.

Ed was incredibly confused by the whole scene "How does he manage to do it? That's a riddle that not even I have an answer to..."

"Don't worry, Bruce. I'm coming home to you soon, and then we can truly become legends..." J laughs as he looks to Bruce on the TV "I can't wait...Ha Ha Ha"

* * *

"One night, Bruce. Just one night. That's all I asked for. Just for you to try and be in the light as yourself...that's all" Alfred looks to Bruce "The people of Gotham need someone to look up to. To have hope in. Bruce, you can be that someone"

"Alfred, I'm sorry if you can't understand the importance of what Batman does for the city, but I do. Batman can make more of a difference to the city then Bruce Wayne ever could" Bruce shoots back as he folds his arms.

"Only because you dilly-dally all your time as Batman. If you just spent one whole day as yourself, you could accomplish the most amazing things for this city and for its people. Both Batman and Bruce Wayne are just as detrimental as each other. Just look at the past few days. You almost bled to death and don't even have the respect to thank miss Kyle without stirring up another fight between you two. The court has returned to Gotham and your clone is on their side, and has all your training...there has to be something that Bruce Wayne can do about this situation that Batman cannot" Alfred tries to reason.

"Alfred, why aren't you listening to me? Bruce Wayne couldn't save Gotham; that's why I left all those years ago...so I could become something...someone that could make a difference. I returned as soon as I felt like who I was could finally make a change" Bruce explains.

"And look where that has gotten you, Master Bruce. Miss Kyle is heartbroken and you can't even find enough strength to actually talk to her about something else that doesn't include your late night activities. Gordon feels like you are avoiding him on purpose and the general public has almost lost faith in you. Though late in doing so. You did at least show up in the end which is more than I can usually give you normally..." Alfred's voice was full of disappointment not just towards Bruce but with some for himself too.

"What are you trying to say, Alfred?" Bruce asks as Alfred places a hand on his shoulder.

"In trying to create a creature that could take on the underworld of Gotham, I fear you may have unleashed a monster far greater than even you realize. If you don't start to fight it soon, I fear that it may consume you and Bruce Wayne may cease to exist and only...Batman will remain" Alfred speaks his peace. His eyes looking at Bruce and never letting up.

"Look at the city, Alfred. This city needs a monster. Everyone has darkness within them...I just know when to use mine" the billionaire replies.

"That has always been one of your talents, hasn't it?" a female voice calls out to him.

Both Bruce and Alfred turn to see Talia stood before them. Bruce's eyes narrow as he looks at the woman "Talia?" he asks as he sees the woman smiles at him. She folds her arms over and focuses her eyes on Bruce. Alfred looks to Bruce.

"Bruce, do you know this woman?" the older man inquires.

"Alfred...listen to me. Run and evacuate the guests" Bruce orders.

"Master Bruce? What on the earth are you-"

"Now!" Bruce yells.

"On it" Alfred runs into the next room and looks to all the guests "Everyone! There seems to have been a fire downstairs - please evacuate in a straight line" he points to the emergency exit. Gordon and Lee both look over to Alfred.

"A fire?" Lee comments.

"We should do as he says" Jim puts his hand on Lee's back as he walks her along with the other guests towards the exit. Barbara shrugs as she follows behind both Jim and Lee as they quickly vanish among the crowd. Selina's eyes look over to Alfred as she walks over to him.

"A fire, really? Is that the best excuse that you can make for Bruce to leave early? Let me guess...there's certain Bat-business that he needs to attend to" Selina rolls her eyes as she sees the older man quickly grab her by her shoulders as he drags her towards the exit.

"Master Bruce told me to run and to escort the guests out - that means you too, miss Kyle," Alfred tells the woman.

From the next room, both Bruce and Talia stand opposite each other "Hello, Lover. Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here, Talia? I thought I made myself clear the last time that we talked" Bruce growls.

"I'm afraid that our personal relationship has nothing to do with my arrival at Gotham. I'm here on business" Talia smirks "However, it still involves you...my love"

* * *

**Chapter End**


	6. Talia

**Talia **

* * *

Bruce stood on edge as he sees the woman slowly pace around him. He felt her eyes watching him like he was her prey and she was his predator. Talia's lips curve into a smirk as she sees the man become unnerved by her "It's been quite a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it? You know this is the exact reason why I told you that you were not ready to leave Nanda Parbat. You're training was not yet complete and thus you returned to Gotham ill-prepared for what is to come" she appraised.

"Is that why you are here? To tell me that I'm not ready? I have used everything that I have learned to protect the streets of Gotham, and I am doing just fine" Bruce tells Talia. The woman stops as she stands right in front of him, only a few inches apart.

"Your physical training is indeed finished, however, your mental training is less than desirable. You left the league of shadows far too early, and so you are not properly conditioned to safeguard this city nor its people. You may have the strength to protect within the darkness, but your mind could very well be lost in the shadows" Talia observes.

"I can handle whatever Gotham throws my way, now if you don't mind..." Bruce reaches out his hand to the woman's shoulder. Talia's eyes narrow as her smirk grows wider. She grabs the man's wrists and throws him over her head and onto the ground. Bruce rolls on the ground only to then stand back up.

"Then show me just what you can do. If you can beat me; I will leave this city tonight, lover" Talia runs her hands through her hair as she sees Bruce steadily step towards her. Bruce unbuttons his blazer and throws it to the ground whilst he watches the woman crack her knuckles with her hands.

"You are going to regret coming here" Bruce warns her.

"Now you are making me excited..." Talia sniggers with her voice full of libidinous. She kicks upward with her knee. Bruce sees her move and counters with his own knee to block her. Talia throws both of her firsts at the man, one after the other in sequence. Bruce catches Talia's right hand with his left and her left hand with his right. His hands tighten around her wrists as he looks the woman in the eyes. Talia's eyes light up in excitement "What's the matter? Too scared to throw a punch of your own?" she muses.

"Not here. People could see us" Bruce scolds her.

Talia leans in until both of their lips with only a few centimeters apart from each other "I don't mind doing it out in the open. Plus knowing that anyone could walk in on us only makes it hotter" she jolts her leg upward and kicks the man in his crouch. She then made the most out of the situation as she kicks the man's shin. Bruce released his grip on the woman as he was forced to breathe while he tried to concentrate after her previous strike. Bruce saw the woman was gearing up for another punch and he managed to catch it. He pulls her forward and spins her around with his arm around her neck. His free hand grabbed the woman's left hand and held it behind her back.

"I always loved it when you were this hands-on. Of course most of those times...we weren't fighting..." Talia muses.

"Enough. Just quit it. Tell me what you are doing here!" Bruce snaps.

"It's a long story" Talia throws her head backward and rams it into Bruce's nose. The man lets go of the woman as his hands travel to his nose. Blood was trickling down his right nostril. Talia turns on her heels as she looks to Bruce "But I will do my best to shorten it as much as I can". Talia kneels as she swipes at the man's feet with her own. Bruce was knocked off balance, but managed to use his hands to catch himself. Talia rolls onto her heels as she looks over the man "See a couple of months ago...I was told that there one someone running about Gotham who seemed strangely similar to you"

"Let me guess...you mean the Talon, right?" Bruce sees Talia begin to kick her boot to his face. He grabs her foot with his hands and twists it. He then jumps to his feet and punches towards the woman. Talia tilts her head to avoid the blow and repeats the same action the other way as Bruce throws another punch her way. She curves up to her knee and kicks the man in his stomach. After receiving the blow, Bruce quickly grabbed her leg and pulled it towards him in an attempted to trip her up.

"Great work, detective" Talia compliments in a condescending tone quickly before she delivers another blow with her boot to his stomach which caused Bruce to been hurled forward out through the door to the room and to enter the main hall that was now emptied. He slid against the floor before rolling until he eventually stopped. He rubs his now bruised shoulder, looking to the entrance to the room as Talia followed him through as she waltzes in "It's quite remarkable you see. From what I have been told...it seems that he has all of your training - which is remarkable since I was the one who trained you, so you must understand why I'm coming in person to investigate this"

"If you are here because of that...then why did you come to the party?" Bruce inquires as he stands to his feet. Talia begins to charge towards him. Bruce holds his arms up to block the woman as she kicks in the air. He then sees his chance and proceeds to throw punch after punch to the woman. Talia blocks everything that Bruce throws her way. Every punch, every kick, every quick maneuver that he tried to pull off was countered by Talia's own.

"I thought you could tell me about what you know about the Talon. I was told that you had an encounter with him a few nights ago, so I decided to come and see you first. My father would have never allowed for an unchecked individual to run around with the training of the League of Shadows, so neither can I. I must find the Talon and kill him" Talia austerely reveals.

* * *

"Alfred! Alfred! I said let go of me!" Selina yells as she shakes free of the man's hold. Both her and Alfred were stood outside on the ground of Wayne Tower just away from the crowd. Selina looks to the butler as she folds her arms "Just what is going on? If Bruce wanted to leave he could have just left without saying a word, that's what does most of the time. So what is the big deal?" she asks.

"For your information miss Kyle. I was a strong advocate for Bruce to attend the ball in the first place, however, he told me to run and take all the guests with me. Bruce is many things, but he has never been one to overstate the situation - I have to trust him to make the right call" Alfred tells Selina.

"Why would he all of a sudden tell you to do that? What happened in there?" Selina inclines as she expected a truthful answer from the grey-haired man.

"Master Bruce was quite dandy this evening, though we did clash somewhat. He started to get worked up when this strange woman just showed up out of nowhere. I sure as hell did not recognize her, however, he certainly seemed to" Alfred says as he sees the woman stood before him tense up.

Selina's eyes lit up with vex at the man's words "And you just left him, alone with someone that he seemed so scared of that he told you to evacuate the entire floor? What were you thinking?" she was clearly and most certainly annoyed.

"It was his decision. And we must respect that"

"Listen to you! You don't even believe what you are saying. Bruce has been making the worst decisions lately. For god sake, he went after the same guy who almost killed him the night before! I mean who does that? What rational thinking person would think that was a good idea? I don't and I hope you don't either! The Bruce that I knew would never have done something so stupid and reckless!" Selina frantically throws her arms in the air.

"I know. Bruce has indeed changed during his travels. I know that he has the best intentions in mind, but the man that he has become...I fear that there is no returning from that darkness" Alfred confesses to the woman stood before him. He turns his head as he hears someone calling his name. Jim Gordon quickly made his way towards him as he puts his phone into his coat's pocket "Commissioner Gordon? What seems to be the problem?"

"I just got off the phone to my friends over at the station and I was told that there was no fire every reported. Could you care to explain to me why you evacuated the floor when there was no danger?" Jim asks Alfred as he had a clear look of irradiance to him.

"Apologies, I was just talking to Miss Kyle" Alfred lets the commissioner know.

"Selina? Where?" Jim questions as he sees Alfred stood on his own.

Alfred quickly looks over his shoulders only to met with no one there "Oh bloody hell now she's doing it" he says under his breath.

"Do you mind telling me just what is going on? You were in quite the rush to get us out of there, and I don't see Bruce there...so would I be right to say that he is still up there?" Gordon's friendly front was now gone as he glares to Alfred "Stay here" he tells Alfred as he looks up to the tower. He leaves Alfred on his own as he heads back into the building.

* * *

"That's not happening! I will not allow any bloodshed in my city" Bruce replies to the woman as he sees Talia step in front of him. Talia winds up another kick to him. Bruce shoves her leg away with his hands as he then side-steps to avoid one of her punches. Talia then quickly repeats her previous action as she goes for another jab of her fists. Bruce catches her hand and throws himself forward as he punches the woman in her stomach.

"Really now? That's fine, just beat me here and now and I will leave as promised" Talia murmurs as she regains her footing. She font flips and hits Bruce's face with her boot which made the billionaire move back. Talia flips her hair with a quick move of her head as she jumps towards the wall of the room to the only jump off of it and delivers a punch right to his face. Bruce stumbles backward as Talia was quick on her feet. She rams her elbow to the back of his right shoulder.

"What's the matter, lover? Do you need your suit or your fancy gadgets? You are still wounded from your fight with the Talon, aren't you? You are putting up an even worse fight then you usually do" Talia comments as she wraps her right around the man's neck while her left hand moved to the back of his head "With just a little more pressure...your neck would break, so I recommend no sudden movements...just in case I might be surprised and accidentally snap you like a twig" Talia whispers in the man's ear "Yield, submit to me"

"Even if I did not come to this city...you would still not be able to face the Talon and the Court in your condition. You would die, and I cannot allow that" Talia's words were tender as they sounded to be genuine from her heart.

"Wait, you know about the court too?"

"Yes, the league of shadows and the court of owls have found themselves in war the past few months. I first discovered this Talon when he managed to kill several of the league's highest ranking members with ease. That was when I knew that he had to have been trained by an al Ghul. That was the only way to explain it. I am in Gotham not just to kill the Talon but the rest of the court as well to honor my fallen comrades. This is my fight...you cannot hope to win alone" the woman adds.

"He's not alone!" a voice calls out.

Talia's eyes widen as she sees a whip slash her face; cutting down her cheek. Talia quickly pressed down on the back of Bruce's neck; causing the man to fall to the ground. Talia looks forward as a figure leaps down onto the floor. Catwoman looks over to the fallen man. Her goggles zoom into to get a better look at the man's condition "What did you do to him?" she hisses as she stretches out her hands as her claws glimmer with the light.

Talia slides her gloved palm down her cheek where the cut was "I hit his pressure point. He'll be unable to move for a while. And who the hell are you?..." the woman asks as she sees Catwoman grab the whip attached to her waist.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing" Catwoman replies.

"As you wish, my name is Talia al Ghul. I am the daughter of the grand Ra's al Ghul and I am the current leader the newly formed League of Shadows" Talia tilts her head.

"Al Ghul? Another one? Wait, did you say Talia? So you were the woman the Bruce was called to in his dreams" the cat burglar's eyes narrow "I'm going to enjoy this a lot more than I really should..." she adds as she readies herself.

"Sorry, but this won't be a pleasurable experience for you" Talia smirks as she steps forward.

"Ss-Selina...do-don't...she will kill you" Bruce warns Catwoman, however, she quickly refuted his words as she charges towards Talia. The league of shadows' leader saw the other woman who was ready to swipe with her claws. Talia steps backward and grabs one the ears on the helmet that Catwoman worse. Talia then moves out of the way and shoves the other woman into the banquet table. Catwoman was knocked into the table and caused over a dozen platters of refreshments to be thrown across it.

"Sorry kitty-cat, was that too rough for you? Well, you better leave now because that was me going easy on you. If you stay...well I might just kill you" Talia gives a fair warning to Catwoman. Selina turns to face the other woman as she smirks.

"Selina...please don't fight her...just leave...please" Bruce was reduced to begging the woman to leave for her own safety.  
"After everything that her family has done to the city...I'm letting this go. I'm going to kick her ass" Catwoman shoots back.

"Please, Selina. She could have killed you already if she wanted to...please leave. I don't want you to get hurt, please listen to me" Bruce looks to both Catwoman and Talia as he tried to be the voice of reason. Talia shrugs as she looks over to Bruce.

"Oh, Lover. It sounds like you care greatly for these women. I'm almost jealous" Talia remarks.

"Wait, did you just call him *lover*?" Catwoman was lost for words "Hold on, Bruce... did you and her...you know...do...you...know...what?" she asks the man that was lying on the ground. Talia would be lying if she said that she wasn't going to enjoy the answer that the man would give.

"We...are-not-discussing that" Bruce was quick to shoot Selina's question down.

Talia smirks as she sees the discomfort on the other woman's face "Of course we did...and it was amazing every time" she found great pleasure in seeing the woman's face drop into a fluster of emotions. Catwoman bares both sets of her claws on display as she slowly reaches for the whip attached to her waist. She takes hold of it in hand.

"Bruce...we need to talk later and heads up, I might end up killing you" she then uses her whip to hit Talia who rolls her eyes. Talia moves out the way as the whip hits the ground, she then takes hold of the whip and uses it to launch Selina forward. Right before Catwoman was near her, Talia spins on her heel and kicks Catwoman in her ribs as she is sent to the ground on the right of her. Talia looks at the whip in her hand as she looks to the downed Catwoman.

"I remember the first thing that I taught Bruce when he first came to me: never fight with anger; it blinds you and makes you do some really stupid thing, it makes you look pathetic" Talia drops the whip and kicks it over to Catwoman "Act and never should you react. You need to calm, focused. Because you will never know when you will be put in a life or death situation...like now" Talia walks over to Catwoman and presses her heel on her head.

"Talia...please don't do this!... Please...I am begging you" Bruce pleads as he could not get up, no matter how hard he wanted or tried.

Talia's ears pricked at his words. With a few moments, she removed her heel and turns to Bruce "As you wish, but only because I have more pressing matters. Since you can no longer stand, I am the victor, and with that...the Talon is mine to deal with and kill. And I will kill whoever I need to in order to find both him and the court. I am giving you one warning my love. Do not get involved any further...you are not ready. I should have never allowed you to leave when you did..." Talia walks to Bruce and kneels in front of him.

"Heed my warning...if you try to stop me...I will kill her and you know that you can't stop me, not in your condition" Talia forewarns him.  
"GCPD, don't move!" Gordon yells as he charges into the room with his gun in hand.

"Goodbye, Lover. It's been...fun" Talia runs off while Gordon tries to shoot at her, but every single one of his shots misses. Talia jumps through the window of the room; shattering it. Catwoman's eyes narrow as she too aimed for an escape route.

"Stop where you are!" Gordon calls out to her. Catwoman looks at one of the windows that were already open. She made a break for it as she runs towards the window "I said freeze!" he shouts as he shoots at her. This time he manages to hit his target as a bullet hit Catwoman's left leg as she craws out of the room'; leaving both Jim and Bruce alone. The commissioner returns his gun to his jacket and he quickly makes his way beside Bruce.

"Bruce? Bruce? Can you hear me? What happened?" Jim asks concerned for the man as he quickly pulls out his phone and flips it up. Dialing a number he then holds it to his ear "Hello, I need an ambulance. The 25th floor of Wayne Tower, comes quickly" Jim's eyes wander over to the shattered window as he slowly approaches hit. Looking down to the streets only to see that the woman had completely disappeared "Bruce...what have you gotten yourself into..."

* * *

**[Underground]**  
"The Talon has ascended...now he can fully take his place as the savior of Gotham and with your rise shall come to a new dawn for the court" the masked woman addresses a room full of people who also wore the owl mask over their faces. She walks to a figure who was kneeling before her on the stage "Reborn through the Lazarus pit, neither the Talon nor 514A exist anymore. A new knight has been forged. You will be the one to past judgment upon the people of Gotham, from now you shall be their true dark knight..."

"You are no longer a copy made to replace, you now a warrior created to stand tall, rise my dark knight and claim Gotham as your Kingdome" the dark-haired woman held out her hand "Show the city that the court of owls will always be supreme, and that we shall rule again. No longer in the shadows, but now in the light as the saviors of Gotham" she looks at the figure lifts his head to look to her "There is one thing that you must do before...you must enact your judgment to show Gotham...kill Batman and everyone else that would oppose us...now rise as you are now..."

The figure slowly stands to his feet. Dressed in dark grey armor and owl-shaped helmet with a black cape that goes all the way down to his boots. His eyes were covered by a black visor in which two fully white circles look to the woman "I am the judgment that shall enact the punishment upon the criminals that plagues this city, I am the day whose light will eradicate the shadows of Gotham, I am the one who is destined to protect the city. That is who I was born to be...who I have become...I will become the legend...that neither Batman or the League of Shadows could hope to destroy...I am the Owlman" he spoke emotionlessly as the white eyes on the vizor narrow.

"Good...good. Now go out and show the city their salvation...use the training of my family to reign, no one can stand in your way, not Batman, not Gordon...not even Talia" the woman grins "You can kill them all" she sniggers.

* * *

**[Outside Wayne Tower]**

"Move! Everyone clear out!" Jim calls out as behind him a group of paramedics was courting Bruce Wayne who was lying on a gurney towards the ambulance. Jim stays close to Bruce as he looks down to him "Bruce! Can you hear me? We're taking you to the hospital...you're going to be fine" he tries to reassure Bruce as the crowd of people quickly move out of the way to make room for them. Bruce's eyes widen as his vision was blurred.

"Bruce! Bloody hell what happened?" Alfred moves beside Bruce which caused Jim to quickly grab the butler by the shoulders as he pushed him back and away from Bruce. "Gordon, what the hell are you doing? Bruce needs me" Alfred protests.

"No! You are going to shut up and listen to me! You knew this was going on up there, didn't you? Didn't you!" Jim yells as he grabs Alfred by his shirt.  
"Master Bruce told me to evacuate all the guests...I was only doing as instructed" Alfred replies.

"Doing as instructed!? Bruce can barely breathe! He needs to put on a ventilator to survive! And there is the fact that he has a days-old knife wound in his stomach! Just what have you and Bruce gotten yourself into? Was it the court? Was it The court of owls!" Gordon spits.

"Oh my god...what happened?" Lee runs towards Gordon as she pulls his hands off of Alfred "Jim...what is going on? Why is Bruce being taken away...is he hurt? What the hell happened up there?" Lee asks in concern as she sees the look on her husband's face.

"I don't even know where to start, but I think you might..." Jim glares at Alfred "I'm going to find out just what happened here tonight, and I would suggest that you head down to the station, right now..." Jim warns Alfred.

"Jim? What are you doing?" Lee intervenes as she moves between the two men "Just what has got you so worked up? And what did you see in there? Please, Jim. You are starting to scare me" Lee looks her husband in the eye.

"I got there after it was over. I saw Bruce lying on the ground. He could barely move or breath. I saw this woman next to him. I didn't recognize her but she seemed to have been cozy with him, it looked like she was the one that did that to Bruce. I tried to put her into custody, but she uh...sort of jumped through the window and vanished. Then...there was this third party involved"  
"Who?" Lee asks.

"I don't know. I never got a good look at her, but she was in a hurry to get out of there so I'm guessing she wasn't someone with a clean record. I warned her to stop moving, she kept going so I had no choice...I shot her in her leg, but she still managed to get out of the building. I swear this city has gotten even weirder ever since..." Jim's eyes slowly look at Alfred.  
"Jim? What's wrong?" his wife asks concerned.

"It's nothing..." Jim dismisses as his eyes remained on Alfred.

They were stopped at one of the paramedics walks up to them. A man with blonde hair looks over to the commissioner "We're ready to move out. If any of you want to come along, I suggest you do now" Jim gives a quick nod as he follows after him.

"Hold on just a bloody minute! Bruce is my concern, and I am going to be the one to keep an eye on him!" Alfred challenges Gordon's decision as he paces after him "Mate, are you listening to me. I'll be going with him, that is my duty after all..."

"No. I'm taking this one, and once he's awake. I will have some questions for him, that is unless you think that Bruce has anything to hide from me?" Jim follows after the paramedic. He enters the ambulance as he sits beside Bruce while the paramedic closes the doors behind him.

"Alfred, I am so sorry about that. I'm sure that James didn't mean to be such an asshole just now" Lee was apologetic.

"Never mind that, Miss Tompkins. Gordon is simply doing his job and if you would excuse me...I need to do mine" Alfred walks away as his eyes narrow "Oh bloody hell" he swears under his breath.

* * *

"Someone help me!" a woman screams as a man forces his way on top of her. She tries to struggle against him, but he proves to be too strong and restrains her. She screams louder which caused the man to cover her mouth with his hand. The woman's eyes widen as she sees something fly past both of them. The man laughs as he slowly leans into her. The woman closes her eyes as she dreads what would happen next. She hears a loud scream from the man and by the time she opens her eyes; he was gone.

Slowly pulling herself up she sees the same thing as before moving at the corner of her eye. Lifting her head up she sees her attacker impaled through the chest with a large metal pipe that was stuck in the wall above her. She trembles as her lips quiver "Th-thank you...you...saved me..." she whispers. On top of the building stood Owlman as he looks down to the woman. His white eyes illuminated from the shadows as his cape was blown by subtle breezes of wind.

Owlman gives a subtle nod to the woman as he then turns around and walks out of her line of view. Owlman expands his cape as he begins to glide between the buildings of Gotham as his shadow roamed against the streets and the buildings themselves. People on the streets look up as they seem him fly over them. All of them gather in a large group as they see Owlman stood on top of the building. They all look nervous and confused as they bare witness to him.

* * *

**Chapter End**

**Look to 3) for updates to the story.**

1) Just a little side note that originally I wanted for the clone to become Azrael, but I remembered that the show had already tackled that character with Theo Galavan. So I thought that Owlman would be the next best thing since it fits in with the court of owls. Plus Owlman is usually portrayed as an "evil" version of Batman is most iterations so that also helped me decide on it. I was thinking of letting the clone remain as the Talon, but I felt him becoming Owlman would be the best way to make them seem equal to each other.

2) What do you think of my version of Talia? I have been thinking of making her a recurring character throughout the story. Not on the level of the main characters, but her presence in the story will indeed carry over past this story arc.

3) The Court of Owls plot is not going to be the whole story. Even though this story is titled as "Season 6"; this story is going to be more like the Smallville Season 11 comic where it will tackle multiple storylines in its duration. And as such this current story arc is planned to end soon and such a new storyline will begin. I will say Batman is going to meet quite the "super" guy. Anyways thanks for reading and I hope that you are looking forward to the next chapter.


	7. Gordon

**Gordon**

* * *

[**Gotham City Central Hospital**]

Pain. The wincing feeling stings up his body, his muscles ache and his limbs are numb. His vision was blurry, everything he could see was out of focus and all the colors blend together in one whole mess that was his vision. Trying to move or even turn his head, taking a slightly heavier breath proved to be near impossible or just more unconformable than they seemed to be worth. His ears rungs, a sharp ringing blasted from his eardrums with a few voices that sound unclear and arranged into tangled messes as they overlap each other in sound, once whispers become booming echoes and once unwelcomed raised voices slowly turn to barely being audible susurrations.

"...What...-" Bruce mumbled as he figured himself to be lying on top of what seemed a hospital bed, by all means, was not completely unconformable, but it was still a far cry from one of his own beds. Trying to move his hands, feet or any part of himself felt like an all too distant dream at this point. The best that he could do was stir about in the bed, slowly creaking his neck and wiggling his toes, though his movement was still and mostly less desirable than would have liked.

"Bruce? Can you hear me?" came a familiar voice, one that has been engrained in mind since the night that he had lost his parents, the voice from that night. Bruce knew who was talking to him, his head turns to the direction where he pinpointed the voice's location, and it was not too far away. He eyes try to get a clear look, but his vision had other plans. Still blurred and still a cause of a headache. Though Bruce could tell who it was by their outline and figure, it was him.

"Gordon? Where am I?" Bruce asks as his voice was still weak and just about audible to the other man. Trying to sit upward, he was greeted with a sharp jolt of pain in his stomach and where he wound would be. Jim was quick to his feet as he gently eased the man back onto his back. Bruce realized that he did not have strength left that he thought and thus Gordon easily put him back down with somewhat of easy-going guidance. Bruce looks up as he sees the man leaning over him, trying to talk to the older man, his words were jumbled and in some instances indecipherable to the commissioner.

"Ease up, you've been through a lot," Jim tells the man lying down "Listen, once you are fully back with it...we need to talk about what happened earlier tonight" he straightens himself as he walks to the window of the room, looking to the outside world. The bright lights of Gotham shine brightly within the darkness that the night brought with its presence. The bright neon-red, blue and yellows from the next street over from outside find themselves igniting his face with their glaze "Because I know that you are hiding something, please I am asking you to be honest with me, Bruce"

"Jim...what are you talking about?" Bruce had to fight himself to be able to get his words out and to be heard by Gordon. The commissioner turns on his torso to greet the stare of the other man. Jim slides his hands into the pockets of his suit. Slowly and steadily the rest of his body follows as he fully turns to Bruce's direction. His footsteps echo throughout the room as he walks back to the man. Each step getting louder and louder to almost a thud in the back of the billionaire's mind.

"Don't do that, Bruce. Do not treat me like I am an idiot, I have never treated you in that way even with all the reckless things you did all those years ago. We are both adults, and I expect you to start acting like one. You suddenly come back after ten years, and you don't even bother to say hello to your friends - instead you spend most of your time locked up in Wayne Manner...I want to know is what happened while you were gone? Something must have happened to change you...and I want to know what that was" Gordon took a seat in one of the chairs placed beside the bed. The older man folds his arms and slants his body to lean towards the man.

"Jim? What are you trying to imply?" Bruce aggrieved as he uses all of his strength to finally lift himself up, now sitting up he looks to the commissioner "If I didn't know any better, I would think that this was an interrogation" he vexes. His muscles still were numb and even tingled in some spots.

"Interrogation? Bruce, I'm worried for your well being. Being gone and isolated cannot have been good for your physical or mental health. I'm trying to talk to you, I am trying to see if the Bruce Wayne that I was proud of is still in there somewhere. You have friends here, remember?" Gordon's voice was hard-hitting to Bruce, though he saw it coming a mile away, yet it still managed to hurt him. Seeing that Gordon was not planning on giving up his relentless attempts to g information.

"Of course I do. How could I forget all of you? Without you, I would have never been able to move on from the night that my parents were killed. You are the reason why I could finally sleep easy, and I could never thank you enough for that" Bruce acknowledges the man's words, showing the side of Bruce that Gordon thought was lost. Jim breathed easy as sees the parts of the old Bruce still being here, which was much more than he was hoping to discover, however, he was grateful to be proven wrong which was mostly never a relief in his line of work.

"Then why are you keeping us so distant, even Selina acts like you are a stranger to her" Gordon inquires as he sees Bruce slightly become unnerved. Bruce was many things, but easily taken back was no longer one of those qualities of himself, he had long discarded that fragment.

"I was gone for ten years, yet she waited for me to return. I could see in her eyes, her pain, her sorrow and all the sleepless nights...how could I come back and look her in the eyes after I did that to her? A part of me wishes that I never left and stayed in Gotham...with her" Bruce confesses, with the feeling now returned to his hands he moves it over his shoulder. His eyes tense as he experts a grunt of pain "I returned to Gotham to make good on my parent's legacy, that's why I came back...I thought that I could throw away all that I had before I left, but it looks like I was wrong to do so"

"Bruce, remember what I told you that night when we first met?" Gordon raised an eyebrow as he asked him.  
"How could I forget it? However dark and scary the world might be right now..."

"There will be light" Jim finishes "Gotham is not the type of city where you can go at it alone, you need friends...you need people that you can trust. That's what I learned when I first arrived here, trust me as I speak from experience, one man can't hope to save this city alone, even now I don't think that I can..." Gordon admits as runs his hand against his chin, a couple of glances towards the door; he sees Harvey Bullock was stood on the other side as he knocks on the window looking outward to the ward.

"I will be back, stay here" Jim stands up and walks out of the room.

Bruce quickly looks to the side of him, his phone was residing on the counter next to the bed. Picking it up he holds it to his ear "Lucius, can you hear me?" he asks.

_"Bruce? Good to know that you are still kicking, what do you need?"_

"Send the car, and bring my nicest suit" Bruce answers as he steadily pulls himself from the bed and onto his feet "I know Talia, and when she is dedicated to something...she won't hurt any civilians, but she will have no problem killing any criminal she sees fit to complete her mission...I can't allow that...I won't let her take any lives..." Bruce stumbles to the ground as his breath spiked "My nerves are still messed up, even with the Batsuit 2.0, Talia would easily win if I faced her head on...Lucius one more thing..."

_"Whatever you need, I'm there for you"_

"Thanks, I need you to equip the suit with the NW 2.0 and the new Batarangs prototypes that you were developing"

_"Bruce...those are called prototypes for a reason; they haven't even made it out of the testing stage yet"_

"Well now is the perfect time to test them. I didn't spend all those years training just to let Gotham fall back into the hellhole that It was before, this is our city. And we are going to show the court, Talia and the Talon that we are not going let it go without a fight..."

Outside the room, Jim and Harvey saunter down the hall "What's the problem?" the commissioner asks towards his partner.

"A man was found with a pipe shoved through his chest on the upside of town" Harvey sighs as he looks to Jim "He was known criminals, and we have multiple eye-witness accounts of some guy that seemed to be gliding from that area...It's him. That Bat has finally lost it just like I told you" Harvey seemed almost too scared to finish what he was trying to say. Jim caught that his partner's hands were shaking and that he was struggling to get the words out. Jim places his hands on Harvey's shoulder.

"Harvey?"

"This why you should have listened to me. After everything that we have been through, all the trust that we have each other - you threw it all away the moment the bat appeared in Gotham. I have been telling you over and over the past few days that he cannot be trusted, yet you chose to ignore me and put your faith in him!" Harvey shoves Jim's hand away from him "All the bloodshed that he has caused...that's all on you, Jim. I hope that you know that and are willing to accept it"

* * *

**Meanwhile across Town**

"Oh god, it hurts..." Selina cries as she was sitting down on a metal flight of stairs as Alfred was tending to her left leg. Her boot was already pulled off and was settled on the ground beside them. Her leg was bleeding heavily, the crimson liquid drips onto the ground as it slowly forms into a red puddle that mixes with the dirt of the ground. Selina's leg appeared to have a hole blown through it from the bullet. Alfred was kneeling and was using two small medical instruments to explore the wound. Selina hisses as she breaths heavily, her chest moved to sync with her inhales and exhales "Shit! That hurts! Could you seriously not get anything to numb the pain before you started doing that?!"

"Deepest apologies, Miss Kyle. You are losing a lot of blood, so by the time I could have procured that, you most likely would have been dead by the time I got back to you" Alfred replies carefully moves his gloved hands with the small surgical which caused the woman to wince in pain and to almost kicking the man in his face in reflex, just barely missing "Please remain still, the last thing we need is for me to also need medical attention"

"Remain Still? I would like to see you sit still if you have a bullet in you" Selina growls, not to threaten the man but to show her distress as she was in agony because of the wound and the sight of her blood leaking from her and the pool of her own blood that was much larger than she would have liked "Alfred, she managed to take out Bruce without breaking a sweat, what the hell can we do against her? She threatened Bruce that she would kill me if he got in her way and since she knocked me on my ass even easier than Bruce...I actually am hoping that he decides to leave this one to her..." Selina's words were mixed and mingled with sharp pauses as she took moments to breathe and to adjust to every jolt of pain.

"I can't believe that Bruce would...well be close to an al Ghul, after all, that her family has done to this city. Both Ra's and Nyssa brought this city into bloody hell, so I'm not expecting anything different from this Talia if she is allowed to continue running a much..." Alfred comments before as he steadily pulls out the bullet from the woman's leg "Got it" he places the bullet onto the ground as he reaches for a small needle and some thread.

"Oh they were much closer than that, she was taunting me about their special times, I can't believe that Bruce would do this...yet again I have been repeating that same phrase over and over since the day he got back" Selina's eyes widen as she feels Alfred pushing the now threaded needle through the skin of her leg as he tries to shut the wound "Ow! Once again, there is no painkiller" she hisses. Alfred ignores her as he dove the needle across and sealed the bottom of the woman's wound.

"it's hard to believe that the boy who left the city and the man who returned to it is indeed the same person, but at the end of the day...he is. Ten years is a long time for someone who leaves everything they care about behind, but even this is too much for my taste. I never thought of Bruce as someone just to randomly sleep with a woman, so I can only guess that did indeed love each other at one point. As hard as it is to believe, it is the only logical conclusion" Alfred's hands work to seal the rest of the wound "And I think you are good to go, Miss Kyle. Though you may have a limp for a few weeks and I would recommend no strenuous movements to be made with that leg of yours..."

"So let me get this straight, I'm out of commission, Bruce is out of commission, you were already limping from back with Bane, Gordon would not even be able to touch her considering how his fight with Talia's sister went...are we seriously supposed to just sit back and let Talia tear this city apart to look for the court of Owls and the Talon while on her way killing whose knows how many people?" Selina runs her hands across her closed wound, wincing as she even lightly touches it.

"I'm afraid that I don't know, miss Kyle. Talia could indeed die by the court or vice versa, I am sure of one thing though...we could see many lives be lost, and Master Bruce knows that. No matter how broken he may be, he would never give up...and it is up to us to believe in him to win...if Bruce trusted this woman enough to love her...then I know that has it in her to do the right thing..." Alfred's voice was full of uncertainty which Selina quickly picked up on.

"Well I'm done doing that, he doesn't deserve my trust" Selina grabs onto the railing as she tries to pull herself up, with her left foot unable to touch the ground without her gasping and shuddering in pain "Let's face it, Gotham is screwed...again...and there is no one that can even save it this time" Alfred stood to his feet and held out his hand to the woman which she swipes away "I'm fine. I just need to work on my footing..." she pushes her boot back onto her leg as she looks to Alfred "You should go to the hospital - to Bruce...he needs you a lot more than I do right now..."

"Miss Kyle, I strongly suggest that I first take you home. You will get nowhere fast with that leg of yours if you go at it on foot" Alfred recommends to the woman who could barely stand in place, let alone walk or move through the city in her state.

"I'll be fine, but tonight was all over the news...do you really think that Bruce's clone would give up on such an easy opportunity to kill Bruce now that he locked in the hospital? You need to get there as fast as you can, thanks for the...help..." Selina thanks the man.

* * *

**[Gotham City Central Hospital]**

"We are still partners, Harvey. Things have just been too much for the past few months...I'm sorry if you feel that I have been putting you down" Gordon tells Harvey. Both men stood opposite each other "Maybe I was a fool to look to some man cloaked in the shadows...to hope that he could actually be the hero that Gotham needs...I let it blind me...to my friends, I'm sorry but the bat could not have done this...it has to be an imposter" Jim reluctantly tells the man stood next to him.

"Oh yeah? How can you possibly know?" Harvey counters as he throws his hands up.

"I just do, you need to trust me on this!" Gordon nearly yells at the man, but with a just slightly less volume to it. A moment of silence passed between them Afterward, Jim's eyes look over than man as he now feels ashamed by the way he spoke to his closest friend "...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." he tries to explain himself.

"I think you did. Listen to yourself...this freak is trying to drive us apart...because he knows that I'm no longer going to trust him and that I see him for what he truly is...a freak and a murderer, and I have been booking those sort of guys before you even came to this city" Harvey protests the other man.

"You were also happy with yourself to play along with the corruption long before I came to this city too, so don't try to have the moral high ground - no one in this city deserves it at least of all...you. No one is perfect, but the bat is not your culprit...the sooner you learn to see that that better it will turn out" Jim shoots back, this time he did not feel nearly as bad as the last time that lashed out at his partner. Bullock's eyes narrow as he did his best to restrain himself from acting on his anger.

Their attention was brought upward to the lights along with the ceiling as the lights begin to flicker on and off. Eventually, the lights turn off and remain so; leaving the two men and the rest of the floor in the dark "I don't like this...one bit..." Harvey comments as he pulls out his gun with Jim doing the same "Check on Bruce, I'll check the floor" Bullock tells Gordon as they both nod in agreement. While Harvey went on his own way, Jim backtracked Bruce's room.

Walking into the room, Jim sees that Bruce missing and that the window to the room was open "Oh no..." he says under his breath as he then walks back out to the room "Harvey! Bruce is gone!" he calls out while he follows down the path where Bullock went his own way.

Harvey was deep in concertation, holding his gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He slowly paced across the hall, turning a corner jittering at the sound of something that moved behind him. He quickly turns and points his gun "What the?" he thinks to himself as he saw a woman standing before him. Talia gives a light smile to him as she punches the man in the face; knocking him out "You'll be thankful once you awake" She steps over him as she reaches for the sword that was on her back.

"There is no point in hiding. I know that you are here, so come on and let's do this..." Talia's ears perk as she hears something move from within the darkness in front of her as two white orbs shine, looking straight at her "I like to think of myself as a fair woman. If you tell me what I want to know...you shall receive a quick death" she raises her blade and holds it the direction of her target "Well? What do you say to that Talon?" Talia smirks.

"Talon? I am so much more than that now" the voice booms from the shadows as a dagger was tossed to the woman's direction. Talia expeditiously lifts hand hands and catches the blade between her index and middle finger. She drops it to the ground and kicks it away from them both.

"As you wish, a painful death shall be your end" Talia flicks her hair as she spins her blade "You and your friends will regret crossing the league of shadows...and for hurting my love. These will be your last moments on this earth, I recommend that you make the best of them..." Talia runs towards him with her blade in hand. Owlman's white orbs narrow as he moves out of the way from one of the woman's swings. Talia spins on her heels and kicks the man in his stomach, which he used his hands to grab the woman's ankles as he throws her against one of the windows that looked into one of the rooms; causing it to slightly crack.

Talia rolls back onto her heels to avoid one of the man's slashes from his daggers "Talia al Ghul, standing in my way will only result in your death" the Owlman warns as Talia smirks. She jumps against the wall and hits the man in his helmet; knocking him back a few steps. She moves behind him and holds the tip of her blade against his neck, using her free hand to pull the man's head back. She leans against his left ear and grins as they both remain still.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing...now tell me. Where is the location of the court of owls? Tell me or I will slit your throat right here and now..." Talia warns as she gently presses the blade against the man's neck, slightly drawing blood from a small cut that the action created "I will not ask you again..." she apprises with a growl to her voice. Her eyes look ahead of her as she sees a flashlight focus on her. Before they stood Jim as he points his gun to them.

"GCPD! Stop what you are doing, right now and put your hands in the air!" Gordon warns them both.

"Oh for crying out loud" Talia sighs unknowingly loosening her grip around Owlman which he noticed. Taking one of his daggers he rams into Talia's shoulder; causing the woman to let out a loud sheik. Owlman then quickly turns on his heels and punches the woman in the face. Talia's eyes narrow as she pulls the knife out of her shoulder and bares it as her own weapon. Rubbing the spot where Owlman's fist landed on her cheek, she sees that the man in question had vanished and she was now alone with Gordon who still aimed at her with his gun "Good work, officer. Letting someone who murdered your own men walk free. You must be proud of yourself"

"You were going to kill him, no matter what's he done. I can't allow you to kill another person in cold blood" Jim answers back.

"Maybe you might sing another tune if he is too kill someone that you loved? Perhaps the mother of your little girl?" Talia inquires as she places her sword on her back. Gordon's eyes lit up with curiosity at the woman's words, he steadily lowers his weapon but never taking his eyes off of her.

"Barbara? What are you talking about why would that guy have something against her?" Jim asks.

"You haven't figured it out? Well sorry, but this is a family affair so I have no business with you..." Talia turns as her back faces the commissioner. Jim kneels down to his unconscious partner, checking the pulse of his neck and taking a light breath as he knows that his partner was still alive.

"Who are you? And why did you save us?" Jim asks.

"Please don't flatter yourself, I didn't do that for you...you mean a lot to someone close to me, that's all" Talia clarifies to Jim. As the commissioner looks back to the woman she was gone, vanished without a trace, now it was only him and Harvey in the hall.

"I'm getting really tired of people doing that"

* * *

**[Across Gotham]**  
Talia stood on the roof as she looks over Gotham, arms resting by her sides. Her eyes taking in the early hours of the dawn over the city. The early hours of Gotham brought with it an entirely new world. Her eyes slightly tense as she feels someone watching her from behind "So you did not listen to my warning? Well what are you planning to do now, lover?" she asks the man stood behind her. Batman's eyes narrow at the woman's words.

"I know you, Talia. You have an unyielding honor. You could never bring yourself to take innocents lives to get what you want. I knew that you wouldn't really hurt Selina just like I knew that you would save Gordon and Harvey..." Batman stands in the last remaining shadows of the roof. His eyes watch the woman endlessly. Talia's lips curve into a smirk as she turns her head to him "Using me as bait for the Talon...I expected nothing less..."

"It was either that or you going out and getting yourself killed...so I chose the option where we live"

"You were standing on this roof for over an hour before I arrived, why did you want me to find you?"

"The last time I saw my father...he told me that you would one day that you would cross paths with me and that I was meant to train you the best way that I could. He also instructed me to never step foot in Gotham and to let you forge your own fait...not to interfere even if your life was at risk..." Talia explains.

"I know...you told me this before...when we first met all those years ago" Batman comments.

Talia turns her body to face him "He knew everything about you, your destiny, my role in your training..., but never told me that I would fall in love with you...he didn't tell me that you would mean more to me than anyone else in my life...he told me once before he left that he was never coming back, but his last request was for me to train you. I should have hated you for killing him, but I love you too much...it hurts knowing that I was supposed to lead you to your death by just letting you back to Gotham on your own..." she walks towards the shadowed figure.

"This is why I came to you. Why you were tasked to train me...this moment. For me to prove myself to be able to protect Gotham...but over the last few days, everyone I have known has warned me about the dangers of going through the world alone...about my one-man war on the crime of Gotham. I need your help to save Gotham...going at it alone any long longer would just be putting this city in even more danger" Batman requests he sees Talia inch even closer to him.

"Help you? What the hell do you think that I have been doing? I got you out of the way so that I could tackle the Court of Owls by myself. I don't want to see you die, I didn't even want to let you leave me, I only did so because I didn't want you to leave me by force...I love, Bruce. I cherish what we have, all our good times, all of our love, you are the only man that I have ever loved and I would do anything in my to make you happy, but you are in no shape to face the court even with me by your side" Talia tilts her head as she and Batman were only a few centimeters apart from each other.

"If I don't do something soon...people are going to die, I can't have that on my conscience and, neither can you - no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise. I'm asking you to do the right thing, if you do really love me, then please help me" the dark knight requests the woman stood in front of him.

"Of course, I love you. How could you suggest that I don't? Bruce we have known each other for a whole decade and been together for more than half of it" Talia crosses her arms as exhales "Fine, we will do it together if that is what you truly desire...and I know where to begin searching..."

"Where?" Batman inquires.

"A long time ago my father conquered most of the known world with Gotham being one of the places that reign was felt. My father would leave a Lazarus pit in every city that he ruled...with one being under Gotham, one that I was told was recently used over two days ago, and the only people that would have known about its existence is me, my father and...her..." the dark-haired woman explains as her green eyes look into his own. Batman's eyes widen as he hears the woman's words "I got the feeling that she never left Gotham and was hiding until she could make a play for power..."  
"Wait, you mean...?" Batman says in disbelief.

"Yes, lover. Why Talon has all of your training when I was the one who trained you...how the court knew the secrets of the league of shadows and was trying to kill Gordon. Gordon was supposed to be in that station the night that Talon attacked it, luckily you managed to get him away from it that night. And that's why the court is most likely going to go after the mother of his child: Barbra Kean. It has all been the work of my dear sister, Nyssa" Talia finishes as her eyes focus on Batman.

* * *

**Chapter End**


	8. Lazarus

**Lazarus **

* * *

"...I was never born..."

"...That's what they all said..."

"...they always said that I was created..."

"Made only to fulfil a purpose..."

"That was what I was told..."

"...I'm not human..."

"That I am just a means to an end..."

"To replace Bruce Wayne..."

"To take over his legacy..."  
"Everyday, every waking hour, every time I need a break from it all, all the moments that I felt broken..."

"I am meant for something greater, for something that I did not understand quite yet..."

"I'm not human, that's what they repeated over and over again. I was a tool to be used, their weapon - a cold, emotionless, killing machine, who will never rest - who will stand guard over Gotham...They whispered to me, they burned me, branded me with their so-called insignia to remind me of where I belonged..."

"I should be: cold, calculating and unstoppable"

"They said that, over and over until I believed it"

"But I always knew that they spoke of lies, I could always tell when they tried to manipulate me, again and again, I pretended to listen, I acted as they instructed, but deep down...I always knew that I cannot trust anyone in this world, not even the Court of Owls...or her..."

"Because if what they said was true..."

"Why am I full of so much anger? Why have I always lived in despair, why do I enjoy what I do? Why do I love punishing the guilty? Why would they make me like that?"

"Truth be told, I have always wondered about this...it was always at the back of my mind, it drove me crazy...just thinking how they claim to be all-powerful, but they couldn't even control just who I really am? Can they truly be that arrogant? Do they not even think that I have free will? This all has been bugging me since my moment of creation, the very first moments of my existences..."

"The past few days may have finally given me the answer"

"When you play to god be sure not to do such good job, because eventually your creations may very well surpass you to the point where you become obsolete, and thus have no more use in this world. I am not a clone, I am not a copy, I'm not even a reflection anymore...I am..."

"No longer a slave"

Owlman's eyes narrow, the white orbs on his vizor focus upon the city of Gotham. He stands on top of Wayne Tower. His cape flows through the wind, the light of day shines upon him "I have become someone else...I have become perfection" Owlman's eyes focus across the skyscrapers towards the Sirens Club in the distance "No one can understand just how I feel. But they will all witness just what I am truly capable of. That is what she showed me - she gave me a second chance, and I am not going to waste it.

* * *

**Sirens Club**

"Thanks for doing this. It means a lot" Barbara smiles to Lee as they two women stand face-to-face. The redhead held the hand of Barbara Lee Gordon, the daughter of both her and Jim Gordon. The girl looks up to Lee with a smile on her face. Both women stood in the siren's club, low level-tuned jazz plays in the background as they talk. They were the only ones there so they could have the peace that they needed "It's quite the shame that Jim can't be here though; poor Barbara has been waiting all week to see him"

"Don't worry about it, Barbara. I'm sorry that Jim can't be here; he said that he is busy with a case" Lee apologizes as she holds her hand out to the girl "I will be sure to keep an eye on here until Jim can get back" the black-haired woman smiles as the girl to hold out her hand "What would you like to do, Barbara? We can get some pizza if you want, your favorite?" Lee asks. The girl eagerly nods as her smile sizes up into a grin.  
"Can we? pleasssssse?" Barbara Lee Gordon adjures to Lee as her eyes light up with joy. Lee and Barbara gave a quick smile to each other to show their thoughts on the girl's excitement, they both give a quick nod to follow up. Barbara places her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Alright, go get your things" the redhead chortles as her daughter quickly runs into the next room.

"Lee? Is Jim alright? He seemed a little worked up last night - I hope his job hasn't been too stressful on him" Barbara directs towards the other woman.

"Jim is a very stubborn man and sometimes I love him because of it, but other times? He can be a real pain in the ass. We both know that Jim is trying to do what is right, which is not always the easiest thing to do in Gotham. He would never admit when he feels in over his head, that's just the sort of person that he is. That is the man that people look up to, Bruce, and your daughter. That has worked out well so far, so I can safely say that I have trust in him" Lee replies with a friendly tone, full of respect for the other woman.

Barbara nudges her shoulders as she smiles back "You're right. Jim is such a boy scout. that it is honestly painful sometimes. But I would be doing him a disservice if I didn't say that is one of his most admirable qualities. But with Bruce in hospital, I have a feeling that Jim would rather spend his time with him. Jim always treated Bruce as a close friend - even family eventually. I am just a little nervous that he enjoys spending his time more with Bruce rather than our child...I know that it might sound really stupid - But Jim hasn't been able to take his mind off Bruce ever since he returned to Gotham four months ago..."

"Barb, how can you think that? Jim thinks the world of Barbara. He loves her more than anything. He and Bruce have a history, they are friends - you can't be mad at Jim for wanting to visit Bruce in the hospital. Jim is going to be home later and then he is going to spend all evening with his daughter" Lee shoots a look to Barbara that showcased her feelings to her, upset that she would even think of that.  
"You're right. I'm sorry, I just don't want Barbara to think that her father doesn't want to spend time with her..." the redhead sighs as she turns her head "Barbara come on sweetie, mommy's needs to get going" she calls out to her daughter.

"There is no need to worry. Jim will back home tonight and will be more than happy to spend time with her" Lee reassures the redhead.

"I know. Barbara Lee Gordon get back here! Do not make me call you again!" Barbara turns her head to face the direction of where her daughter walked to "Barbara?" she asks again as she did not receive a response from the child. Lee also became slightly unnerved by the silence coming from the next room over "This isn't funny" the redhead calls out once more.

"-I would hope not-" a voice calls from behind the two women. Barbara and Lee quickly turn to see Owlman stood in front of them as he holds the young girl to his chest with his arms wrapped around her waist. Both women look on with horror "After all this is not something to laugh about" he tells them.

"Mommy?" the young girl calls out to the redhead in fear.

"You son of a bitch! Who the hell are you? Let my daughter go, now!" Barbara yells as she spits at the man.

"I was tasked to bring both you and your daughter to her - Leslie Tompkins, I have no business with you; you may walk away from this unscathed. My instructions only demand that I take both Barbara Kean and her daughter" Owlman directs towards the dark-haired woman "I do not like making a habit out of harming those who I do not need to"

"Why the hell do you need me you freak?" Barbara yells.

"You must pay for your crimes, the lives that you have taken - you may have been let free, but true justice must be done today. You must be judged this day" Owlman replies as his eyes turn to the scared girl in his arms. He heard her cries as she screams for her mother to save her "Just know that I do not find any enjoyment in this, it is nothing personal" Owlman reaches into his belt and throws a black ball across the floor. Smoke began to burst out of it as it fills the room to the ceiling.

Lee's eyes begin to focus heavily on her surroundings as she brought into a fit of coughing due to the smoke "Barbara? Barbara? Are you-" she holds her hands over her mouth to stop the intake of smoke into her lungs. The smoke slowly fades and when it does. Lee sees that both Barbara and the young girl were now missing along with whoever took them "Oh my god - what was he?" she throws up a couple more takes of breath as her body was still shaking.

* * *

**Gotham Undergrounds**

"This is it, the Lazarus pit" Talia tells the dark knight as they stand beside each other, standing on the edge of a crater that was full of green stream of steaming liquid "The tale of the Lazarus is echoed all throughout the world, for centuries its power has been sought by all kinds of men and women who desired the gift of immortality...they say that as time moved on, the tale of the Lazarus was eventually reduced to a children's tale, and as such, it's legend has indeed been lost - that is how the tale fountain of youth came about in the world" Talia's piercing green eyes look to the pool as both she and Batman were cast in a ominous green glow "My father always hated that folklore, he found that it made the Lazarus seem like a fairy-tale, when in actual fact...it is a nightmare..." she turns her head to look to the man that stood beside her.

Batman's eyes narrow as his eyes were locked onto the pool under them "Interesting tale, so you are sure that the court of owls used this pit? If so...that means that their base of operations must not be too far away, they can't risking coming to the surface, so there must be a passageway nearby"

"I was thinking the same thing, from what you told me, the Talon must have been in a dire state, though he may not feel pain, his bones can still be broken and he can still bleed - which means death is just as daunting for him as much as the rest of us - I am just not sure why my sister would have any use for him? So he must be someone really important..." Talia's eyes cast over to Batman as he holds his right hand to his stomach "You are still hurt, aren't you? If you persist to keep on track...you must know that there is a high chance that you will die tonight"

"I'm fine. This is what I have trained for..." Batman tells the woman as his hands tighten over his wound.

"What good is all that training when you are not even in the right shape of body and mind to use it? Bruce, I can handle this matter on my own just fine. There is no need for yourself to get involved in this. Go home and rest...recover your strength for when another force threatens the city..." Talia conveys with her soft-spoken voice.

"Talia...you can't take on both Nyssa and the Talon...plus whatever else they have. You need me...we need to work together to stop them both...if we don't...we are practically just handing this city over to them. I will not hand my city over to them...Nyssa already tried to destroy Gotham once and nearly succeeded but unlike before...I can stop her...I can save this city...I can...,..." the man tells Talia and his breaths spikes. The woman's eyes glance down to the Lazarus Pit.

"Even if you do go with me...you are weakened and will be a liability. If the Talon managed to best you when you were at your best...Nyssa could kill you easily with the state that you are in now. I only agreed to do this together as I believed you to be recovered enough to take them on. But you are having trouble just standing, and your breathing is staggered. They will easily wear you out and kill you without a second thought...just what do you expect to accomplish with this suicide mission of yours?" Talia questions Batman.

"I expect to win. Nyssa may have got out of Gotham a free woman before, but now that she is back...I will make her face justice for her crimes. She needs to be stopped and you know that you can't do that by yourself, she isn't someone that you can underestimate...and there is the fact that I still have a score to settle with her..."

"You wish to save the city? You must first be at full strength and there is only one way to that now, I'm sorry my love" Talia whispers as she quickly moves behind the man and holds her arm over his neck "I'm sorry, but the only way to be healed...is to also be reborn through the pit. I only wish that you may one day forgive me for this, Bruce...".

"Talia...what are you...? We don't...have...time...for...you were planning this...the...whole time...weren't you...?" Batman gasps.

"I'm sorry my beloved, but I will not allow you to recklessly throw your life away...and Nyssa needs to die for her crimes...and we both know that you would never allow for that to happen. By the time that you awake...it will all be over, and Gotham will be safe once more. I love you, Bruce...never forget that" Talia kisses the man on the cheek. She kicks the man in the back as he is sent into the pit; being swallowed by the Lazarus water. Bruce's eyes look up to the woman who was looking down to him. He felt his body stop, his heart stopped beating, his breath ceased and soon enough his vision went dark as he blacks out, sinking to the bottom of the pit.

* * *

**Meanwhile at ****Gotham City Central Hospital**

"My head...it's killing me" Harvey holds an icepack to his forehead as he leans back in one of the chairs in the lobby of the hospital. Gordon stood in front of him with his arms folded over. Harvey sighs as he looks up to the commissioner "I was searching down the hall and before I knew - I was knocked out"

Gordon nods "That is what happened, but you sound like that you didn't get a good look at your attacker? Whoever they were they were happily leaving you alive" he observes causing Harvey to raise an eyebrow in response.

"I think I saw some woman, but I don't recall enough for a description. Just what the hell was she playing at? Hold on, do you think it was the same woman that attacked Bruce that you told me about?" Harvey tightens his grip on the icepack "Did you get a good look at her?" he asks.

"Somewhat, but nothing too much to go one, no name, no address, not even a motive, I barely even saw her face but, I know that it was the same woman that attacked Bruce last night. She wasn't the only one there last night...there was someone else who seemed to be fighting her, I think he was the one who killed our men" Gordon explains to his friend, Harvey's eyes narrow as a frown forms on his lips, readying himself for what comes next.

"Really, Jim? Even now you trying to defend your bestie, when are you going to begin listening to me again? Sure as soon as I am knocked out - you suddenly find evidence that proves our Bat-guy innocence? Yeah, that is awfully convenient for you" the older man sighs.

Gordon leans forward "You think that I am lying? Why would I lie to you, we're partners. You need to trust me on this, just listen, will you? The guy I saw was dressed like an owl, last time I checked - our friend dresses like a bat. Can't you see that this whole thing has been a mess? I think whoever is behind what's going on is trying to frame the bat"

"Just stop, I am done talking about this. Just tell me what you got on Bruce? That woman probably came here to finish the job that she started earlier - I would be amazed if he is even still alive, but thankful at the same time too" Bullock beseeches.

"I have the whole city looking out for him, honestly I don't have much hope to find him so easily and a part of me is thinking that we won't find him alive either" Gordon sits in the seat next to Harvey. The commissioner leans forward and places his palms together "I'm starting to think that this whole thing is my fault. I should have stayed with Bruce to make sure he would have been fine. The last time we talked, I let loose on him, I made him feel terrible - I treated him like he was criminal, why did I do that?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Jim. Bruce wouldn't want you to be hitting yourself over this, he would want you to get back out there and find whoever did this - and bring them into custody, and don't act like he wouldn't want anything different" Harvey taps his hand on his partner's shoulder "We may have to face that fact that Bruce could be...you know. He would want us to get to the bottom of this whole thing, and I'm not going to sit around with my thumb up my ass while innocent people could be in danger"

"You're right. We have to find out what's going on. How's Harper doing?" Gordon asks.

"She's stabilized, that's it. Doctors think that she could wake up in the next few days"

"At least there is some good news in all of this" Jim leans back in the chair. His eyes look down to his jacket as he hears his phone ring. He pulls it out and holds it to his ear "Barbara? How's it going with Lee, I know I can't be there, but I should be fine to come home in a few hours. Lee can handle Barbara until then..." Gordon speaks to the redhead on the end the line, or he thought he was. His nightmares come to pass as he hears a voice speak from the other end, one which did not belong to Barbara.

"Hello, commissioner. You do not know me but we did see each other last night"

"Who is this? Where the hell is Barbara?"  
"I have both her and your child with me as we speak. If you wish to see them again...alive. Meet me on top of the GCPD building in an hour. If you tell anyone about this...my master will kill your loved ones, I beg of you not to put your loved ones in danger. You are a good man, and I hate that our first time talking is like this. I honestly hoped to work with you to save Gotham - but it seems that she has other plans for you. Before you ask, your spouse is safe and unharmed" Owlman says on the other end.

"Who are you?" Jim asks with a slight growl to his voice.

"I'm the man who does not want any harm to befall your child, but I am afraid that I cannot stop it from happening if you do not do exactly as I say, just know that I wish that things could be different. GCPD roof - 1 hour. Do not try to be hero, I chose not to hurt your loved ones, but she will do it without hesitating" Owlman replies.

"She?" Gordon raises an eyebrow as the call was cut.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Batman found himself lying on the grounds of what seemed to be a white abyss with no end, nor a beginning that could be seen with his vision "What the? Where am I?" he groans as he slowly gets up from the ground, His eyes look all over the void with not finding anything else within in "Talia...she threw me into the Lazarus...where am I?" he questions as he turns around and looks to anywhere that his eyes could reach.

"Greetings, detective" a voice spoke from behind the dark knight. Turning around, Bruce was greeted with the sight of someone that he would have lived his life happily with never seeing again. Before him stood Ra's al Ghul with his arms folded behind his back "What a pleasant surprise, I take it that this is the doing of my Talia? She was the one who brought you to me...which means that she is in Gotham and that she ignored my instructions to allow you to forge your own path..."

"Ra's? Are-are you real?" Batman asks slightly nervous.

"Real? I could be, or I could just be an illusion created by the Lazarus. Either way, I see that you finally accepted your place as Gotham's Dark Knight, your rightful place, your legacy in the city. However, it seems that you are still held back by your so-called code, your value of human life - even for the lives of those who wish to destroy and murder" Ra's holds his palms together as he tracks Batman's movements "You appear to be lost in thought? Is this not the path that you have chosen? Did you not willing to take on the responsibility as the guardian of Gotham?"

"I became the man I am today to stop scum like you from every rising again and I will do everything in my power to make sure that I keep that promise" Batman growls.  
"Your hostility certainly is saddening but is not entirely undeserved. I helped destroy your city, I made it so that your destiny as Gotham's savior would come to pass. My vision revealed that you would rise from the ashes as a dark knight, a protector but most of all my heir to lead the league of shadows. It was always my intention that you and Talia would rule the league together to bring the world into a new age, one of your legacy, but it has not happened"

"You once told me that you wanted for me to become who your vision revealed to you? Then why did Nyssa come to Gotham to kill me, doesn't that seem like a little counterproductive?" Batman asks.

Ra's raises an eyebrow as he smirks "Ah I see. Once I learned of your true destiny, I went out of my way to tell Talia and warned her that I would not be returning. She understood the levity of what needed to be done to ignite the flame to forge you, however, Nyssa must have chosen to ignore my orders and to get revenge upon you and Barbara...Nyssa was always a disappointment in my eyes, her actions only confirmed it. I am thankful that my Talia heeded my words and was there to help train you...and I see that she did quite well...I believe that Talia got her loyalty from her Mother, such a sweet woman"  
"You talk a lot for a dead guy. Now if you wouldn't mind, tell me just where the hell am I?" Batman requests.

"Your body is currently being repaired thanks to the Lazarus pit, but your mind? Well, that is your own doing, just as you summoned me here, I have no control over this place nor what you desire to do with it. I am here because you will demand it. Soon enough you shall be reborn and returned to your full strength and with it...you must stop my fair daughter and the man who stands beside her. Nyssa thinks that a clone of you can be the city's protector. She is trying to bring forth my prophecy with someone that she has control over...she was always so devious..." Ra's explains.

"Why would she want to do that? If she hates me...wouldn't she just want to stop my legacy altogether, rather then forcing a copy of me to go through with it?"

"Nyssa does indeed feel a great resentment for you, however, the opposite is true for when it comes to me. She wants my last will come true, but she will never settle with you going down in history as the dark knight that watches over Gotham..." Ra's replies.

"Once I get out of here...I am going to stop both her and the Talon...the League of Shadows and Court's time is over...and my time will begin as I stop anyone who thinks they can control Gotham with corruption," Batman tells Ra's.

"Is that so? Be warned...the is only one way to stop the court and the league...putting them away in prison? That will never work and you know it. If you wish to save Gotham you must throw away your foolish code...you must be willing to do anything to protect your people...you must kill them...take their lives and make examples of them...show them fear" Ra's smirks as he slowly tilts his head "Show them that Gotham belongs to you...and you alone..."

"You want me to kill them? Your daughter too? I should have expected you to say something like that"

"Nyssa is family, however, she knew of the risks of betraying me. You need to make sure that she can never return Gotham again. Do you really want Talia to be the one kill her only remaining family? Surely you cannot wish for her to go through with that? After all don't you love her?" Ra's coined a grin as he places his hands on Batman's shoulders "What kind of man would do that to the woman that he loves? Kill Nyssa then you and Talia can be together, ruling the League of Shadows however you choose to. We are only talking about taking a few lives...in order to save millions more what reason do you have to deny that?"

"I will never take a life...not even Nyssa's. That is not who I am" the dark knight quickly shot back to Ra's.

"Your arrogance will end up costing the lives of countless innocents...even if you do not take any lives. Those who wish to stop you will do so and have done so already. Do you refuse to do what needs to be done because you truly believe in that code of yours? Or is that you simply wish to spite me, detective? Your hatred for me is rooted so deeply within you that you are willing for many to lose their lives. This is not about either us getting what we want - this is simply about protecting the innocent people of Gotham" Ra's al Ghul tightens his grip on the man's shoulder "To refuse is to only reveal just how selfish your code is, that you rather be a hero than a man who can actually make a difference in the world. You will never save Gotham if you keep to your code"

"I..." Batman responds in an unsure tone.

* * *

**GCPD Rooftop**

The twilight hours set over Gotham as the sun begun to set and with it darkness would soon take hold over the city once more. Jim walks out into the roof by himself, he looks around to look for the perpetrator that called him there "I'm here. Just as you said, I am alone. It is just us" he holds in hands up to show whoever was watching him that he was planning no tricks and that he kept his word, though what was left to be shown as if the other man would keep his promise "Why did you bring me here? To the police station? Not a very clever idea - in fact, it stinks of pride and well on its way to show your arrogance. Why did you kidnap my daughter? What the hell are you playing at?"

"Playing? That's an interesting way to put it, it shows that my intentions are done to enjoy myself, possible even for me to get a thrill from my actions. I am many things, but someone that likes to "play" is not one of them. I never got that part of my life - only what comes after. I bared the front of the cruel world without going through it first as an innocent kid who only sees the world in black and white, instead of my whole life I have only seen the world in shades of greys, so I can assure you that I am not "playing" at anything. I was never taught how to..." a voice calls out.

Gordon turns his head to look at the owner of the voice. Owlman stood on the edge of the roof as the white orbs in his helmet glares at the commissioner. The sunset behind him caused him to become one with the light as he was shadowed by the light behind him. His cape was blown through the gentle breezes of wind through the air. Holding his arms to his sides and his head up high. Gordon turns the rest of his body to face the man stood in his line of view "I knew it. You're not the bat. You are the one who framed him, aren't you? You are the one who killed all of those cops downstairs, what kind of sick freak do you have to be to return to a place where you murdered countless innocents...?"

"The cops that I killed I did in the name of justice. I only killed the ones who were corrupt, the ones who willingly worked for the worst crime bosses of Gotham. I did this city a service by eliminating the filth that plagued the very department who are supposed to protect it. This city deserves a protector who cannot be corrupted nor be ruled by their emotions. You had your time to save Gotham and you have made no progress since the day that you arrived here, your bat friend hasn't made any improvements either - there is only one way to deal with the scum of Gotham and that is having zero tolerance for their crimes" Owlman replies.  
"What about Harper? She was not corrupt yet you still tried to kill her" Gordon steps forward towards the shrouded figure that was basked in the light.

"If I wanted her dead - she would be, she lives because she is someone who fights against Gotham's worst"

"Barbara and my daughter have nothing to do with the city's crime. They are innocents in this, how can you claim to be a hero and then kidnap innocents? Tell me where they are, right now"

"The mother of your child is a murderer, a criminal. And you let her walk free. That is an injustice that I cannot allow to continue. She must face the consequences of her actions since you are unable to do your job, it is up to the court and me to seek penance for her crimes against the people of Gotham. They need to know that no longer will murderers walk away from punishments. They need to be shown that no one can be shown freedom after their crimes. If I had it my way...only Barbara Kean would have been taken, but my master desired me to bring your daughter to her too, as punishment for you"

"For me?" Jim questions.

"You have blood on your hands too. You have murdered in cold blood, you have let criminals walk free. You are a lie to the people of Gotham, a false idol that they look to for guidance. You have betrayed this city, its people and most importantly, yourself. You claim to be a beacon of light when in reality you are no more than a curtain of darkness. That is why I called you here - James Gordon, I shall seek justice for the people of Gotham, you must suffer for your crimes"

"Do whatever you want with me, just leave my loved ones out of it, please I am begging you"  
"Showing mercy, displaying weakness is what brought Gotham to be the mess that it is today. My Gotham will have no such fault, it will become a sanctuary for the innocent and hell on earth for the guilty. I understand why you have done the things that you have, but that does not excuse your actions..." with a passing moment Owlman had already knocked Jim onto the ground, unconscious "Your city will be in good hands, I ensure you..."

* * *

Ra's caught the uncertainty that was in Batman's stance and was quick to act on it "Are you begging to realize just how futile this crusade of yours is when you can't even make the hard decisions? Aren't you seeing how much more you could help the world if you were just to give the guilty what they deserve? The biggest scum of the earth will just keep doing crimes over and over again, no prison is going stop them, no government can control then - you have seen it with your eyes. I'm not saying to kill every lowlife you come across, but the ones who keep committing their crimes must be cleansed if the people of Gotham hope to survive"  
"I will never-" Batman growls back.

"He knows that acting just like the criminals will only make the city worse" a voice speaks as another hand places itself on Batman's left shoulder. Looking over Batman saw Gordon by his left side and Ra's on his right. Ra's eyes narrow as he was clearly annoyed by the man's presence "This City deserves better than that. Gothamites need to know that they have someone who will fight the darkness and not bask in it. That is who Bruce is, a protector, not a conquer" Jim tells Ra's.

"Ah, I see. You have put all you hope into the commissioner? You do look up to him, you see a flawless hero whenever you look at Gordon, someone that you aspire to become, however, he has just as much darkness within him as anyone else. He has murdered in cold blood before and yet you look to him to see what is best for Gotham?" Ra's raised an eyebrow as he looks to Batman "You believe that your friend is the ideal Angel to become, hovering over your shoulder? Very curious"

Gordon turns to Ra's "I have made mistakes in my time, I have done things that I regret, but I am willing to admit that. I've looked at my past mistakes and made a choice to right my wrongs, I have chosen to be the best man that I can possibly be. It's true that saving Gotham will be almost impossible, but I didn't choose to because I thought it would be easy - And Bruce feels the same way" the commissioner glares to the other man "We have seen the good in Gotham and we will always fight to preserve it"

Batman's eyes widen "Gordon is right. I will fight for the Gotham my parents dreamed for, not kill for the empire that you desire"

"Very well, detective. You can leave here and continue your foolish hero's journey and witness the death that awaits the people of Gotham and the people who you love - once you have realized this; you will see the truth in my words and the lies that the good commissioner has taught you. Your world will crumble beneath your feet and the skies shall bleed from above - and your loved ones shall vanish one by one before your very own eyes" Ra's smirks.

"I will never kill, I will never give in to you, I will never give up on Gotham. That is all I am, you are dead, long passed. I am just beginning, I am just rising - you have already fallen, Ra's. I am going to put an end to this, I will stop Nyssa and my clone! This city will sleep soundly knowing that I will be there to stop anyone who chooses to hurt innocents. I am the Batman, and I am not scared of you" the dark knight's eyes narrow "Now get out of my head, Ra's"

"So be it, but you will soon come back to heed my words. This may be the toughest battle you have had yet, but it will be far from the last. There is a cataclysmic event heading to this city right as we speak. An evil much more powerful than you have faced before. The ancient one is coming and he will bring Gotham to its knees, no one will be spared from his wrath. Gotham has fallen before but he shall erase it from time itself. Godspeed, detective. May God have mercy on your soul" Ra's tells Batman. The dark knight sees the world vanish before his eyes.

"..."

"The Dark Knight Rises"

From the Lazarus pit, Batman stands up, fully healed. His eyes narrow as he looks up, grabbing his grapple gun and shooting up at the ceiling of the underground cave. he shoots up and rolls onto the surface, he slowly stands up. He tightens his hands into fists and he firmly plants his feet to the ground. Lifting his hand up he presses a small button planted on the neck of his suit "Lucius, I put a tracker on Talia. I need you to send me her location - It's time I put an end to this, once and for all..." Batman tells Lucius.

_"Sending corrodents now, Bruce. How are you feeling?"_

"Never better. Tell Alfred that my knife wound is gone and that I am back to being normal"

"_About that, Bruce...I don't know where he is. He told me that he was going to Gotham Central, but Harvey hasn't seen him and Gordon is nowhere to be found either"_

"Nyssa and the Talon must be making their move. I need to find them before they hurt anyone, luckily for me. Talia is leading me right to them. She thinks that killing them is the right thing to do. She may have been raised by the League of Shadows, but she is nowhere near the monster that they are. If she kills her only remaining family...that could drive her over the edge. I can't let her do that to herself..."

_"I'm always here for you, Bruce. Let's end this tonight"_

"I was thinking the same thing, hold on Alfred. I will save you" Batman looks to his the wrist of his left gauntlet as a man appeared of both him and Talia's location "It has all come down to this. Let's not try to disappoint them..." the dark knight takes off on foot as he runs down the tunnels.

* * *

**Underground**

"Gordon!"

"Bloody wake-up!"

Gordon stirred awake as his eyes shot open. He quickly realized that he was strapped into the wooden chair. His wrists and ankles were tide down. Looking to both his left and his right, he saw Alfred and Barbara who have also been tied down in chairs "Alfred? Barbara? What's happening?" he groans as he feels his head hurting a lot. Like he was bashed in the face with a brick "Where the hell are we?" he asks. They seemed to be on a large stage with a curtain covering their view.

"I don't know. I remember heading to Gotham central, and the next thing I know...I am here with you lot" Alfred replies.

"Just what the hell is this supposed to be?" the redhead hisses.

"This is your trial. We are a court after all" Owlman told the three as he stood with his arms folded "Barbara Kean, you are charged with multiple accounts of first-degree murder. Commissioner, you are charged with perverting the course of justice and bending it to however it suits you, allowing for a known killer to walk free, tampering with investigations, and acting out murders yourself. And Alfred Pennyworth, you are charged with crossing the court's path before and the crimes that you have committed against us. This Trial will reveal if you all should be proven guilty for your crimes" Owlman informs them.

"And what happens if you are convicted as being guilty?" Barbara asks.

Owlman lifts out one of his daggers "I will kill you"

"What did you do with my daughter you son of a bitch?" Gordon yells, causing Owlman to turn his sights to him.

"Oh, Jim. Didn't I say that I had plans for her all those years ago" a female voice called out from behind them. Gordon and Barbara's eyes widen as they see Nyssa al Ghul standing behind them as she walks towards them with a knife in hand "What's wrong? Did you honestly think that you had seen the last of me? See the last time we met...you rammed a knife in me" Nyssa grins as she holds her knife over Barbara's neck, gently running it across, but not cutting her "How I have waited to return the favor"

"Nyssa? I am going to kill you, I am going to finish the job this time!" Barbara yells.

"Oh...are you now? See I figured out what I was doing wrong all those years ago. I had Bane, I had an army on my side - but I still lost. You forced me to leave the city. I thought long and hard since that moment, I always pondered on what I did wrong? How you managed to beat my plan, then it hit me...I tried to destroy Gotham until there was nothing left. I never once thought of what I should do once I accomplished my goal. Gotham can be rebuilt...improved, in my image - in the name of the al Ghuls. I can get revenge on everyone who has ever wronged my family" Nyssa sniggers as she runs the knife across the redhead's cheek.  
"Except for Bruce. Didn't you take him too? Where is he?" Gordon directs towards Nyssa.

"Don't worry about that...I'm sure that he will be here soon enough, then the real show can begin. I will kill you all, I will make you suffer, and beg for death" Nyssa leans over Gordon as she grabs his shoulders "And I will take my time making you suffer...you will regret ever crossing my path" Nyssa's eyes focus on the commissioner.

Owlman unfolds his arms as he looks to Nyssa "The plan was to give them a quick and painless death - any other way would be inhumane"

"Plans change my dear 514A" Nyssa coos as she tip-toes to the man in question "You would know that better than anyone else. Your purpose has become so much more than replacing. You will be the definitive dark knight of Gotham. You and I shall rule the city together. I showed you just you can really become, a legend among men. Together Gotham shall be ours...my love" Nyssa kiss Owlman's helmet as her palm is pressed against his chest "We will guide the world into a new age, one where we reign"

* * *

**Chapter End**

**A/N**

Chapter 9 will be the end of this story arc. So after that on Chapter 10. A new arc will begin. It will be most likely only a few chapters (a mini story arc) and will focus on Batman meeting the Man of Steel as they finally meet in this universe. I will not go over any more details at the moment, just know that the World's Finest is coming in chapter 10.


	9. The Dark Knight Rises

**The Dark Knight Rises**

* * *

"To be completely honest with you...I was really just hoping to slit all of your throats and then be done with it. After all - my plans for Gotham far expands you three. In fact, when I was walking up on the stage, I was in the mindset of doing just that. I have never smiled so much in the last ten years, but as soon as I reached the top step...I suddenly changed my mind. Why you must be wondering? Well, why should we just get it over with so soon? You only have so much blood to spill, but your screams? No, so much...they can last" Nyssa grins as she runs her thumb against the sharp-end of the knife in her hand. Barbara Kean, Jim Gordon, and Alfred remained tied down in their seats as they look to the al Ghul.

"You are fucking crazy, you bitch!" Barbara screams at the other woman in a fit of rage, shaking in her chair and spitting in Nyssa's directions. The redhead's face had reddened from her outburst "Just like your father!" she adds in the frenzy of anger as she rocks forwards "I'm going to get out of her and I am going to kill you! You took my little girl! I will rip you apart - piece by piece!" a tear slides down her cheek as she ruffles her wrists against the rope that was binding her "You are dead! DEAD!"

"Barbara, enough! She can kill you whenever she wants! So please stop trying to piss her off. We will get out of this and get our daughter back, I promise" Jim tells the redhead. Nyssa's eyes tilt to the commissioner as she steps towards him.

Nyssa holds her knife towards Jim "Good Man Jim Gordon. You always try to be a shining hope for the people around you. If you only knew that your habit of trying to show the people the light of a hero would have created a dark savior. Here's the thing, James. You were never meant to save this city - you were only to help guide another to take the journey. You are going to die and no one will remember you. You will just be another foolhardy man who tried to save a city that can't be" she turns her head to Barbara and begins to walks towards her "Once he gets here...I will show him all his friends dying. He will learn to never cross my family again, and that us al Ghul's are not to be messed up"

"Aaaaaagggggghhhh" Barbara screams as Nyssa rams her knife through her left hand. The red-head cries out as blood leaks from the wound in her hand. Both Gordon and Alfred look at the sight of horror as they see the woman in pain and her cries - and whimpers that follow after.

"That's enough out of all of you. I suggest that you keep silent until I say otherwise. Not following my instructions...well...let's just say that you will not get a second warning" Nyssa grins as she slowly turns her upper body to greet the man standing behind her "Well...I enjoyed that way more than even I would have thought. It's a good thing that father taught me about self-control, otherwise we would not have three living hostages in our hands...tell me, what is ETA on our guest?" Nyssa asks Owlman.

"He's on the move and seems to have used the Lazarus pit - he's fully healed and will be at his best when he comes here" Owlman informs the woman. Nyssa tilts her head as she moves closer to him. She placed her palm on the side of his helmet.

"Good. That will make it, even more, awarding for when you kill him. You will know that you truly deserve to be this city's protector. We will rule Gotham together, the league of shadows, then the world, my beloved" Nyssa lifts her free hand to the man's helmet and lifts it to reveal the bottom of his face, just below his nose "We will be unstoppable" she leans in and captures his lips with her own "Just like my father had envisioned for our family. Talia would never understand" she speaks as they part from each other. Barbara, Jim and Alfred look at the two in disgust, especially Alfred who's glance showed much more than simply disgust, but a look of him being sick at the sight.

"That is my purpose" Owlman replies.

"No, it is OUR purpose. That is why I found you and cured you of your decomposing body. I made you brand new and with a reason to keep living. Together we will be unstoppable. Not even Batman can stop us, and he is going to try" Nyssa smiles "You will show the world that you are the savior that it needs. Someone who will not tolerate those who harms the innocent. Someone who takes out the scum of the world without hesitation. you will be the dark knight that the people truly need"

"Sorry, but I am afraid that honor does not belong to him" a voice calls out as a katana slices through the curtains behind both Nyssa and Owlman. They both turn to see Talia as she held her blade by her sides "My dear sister, Nyssa. When are you going to learn that you can't always have your way" Talia calls to her older sister.

Nyssa steadily returned the glare over to Talia "Oh yeah...Talia. I was told that you were looming in Gotham - probably working with that boyfriend of yours, no doubt. Tell me, Talia. What brings you all the way to Gotham? Not the sights, not the cuisine. Let me guess. You are here to help that man of yours? That is why you threw him into the Lazarus, no? To get him out of the way while you try and stop us? What do you expect to accomplish here? You can't take us both on at once...you can't fight us both, I have been training for a lot longer than you and Owlman has all of your lover's training, plus he's not afraid to get blood on your hands. Do you honestly expect to fight us and walk away with your life?"

"Fight? Don't flatter yourself. I'm here to kill you both" Talia lifts her blade level with her chest.

"Always ready to take a life, even one that belongs to your family? No wonder you were always father's favorite" Nyssa comments.

"You would have loved you equally...if it wasn't for you being a complete bitch all the time" Talia shoots back.

Nyssa gently pushes Owlman away from her "Stay away from this one my love. I want this one all to myself" she tells Owlman who nods to her. Nyssa cracks her knuckles as both she and Talia glare at each other "Father said that only one of us can carry out his vision...his last desire for the League of Shadows. Only one of us can lead them along with our chosen one. I can't allow that to be you...I can't take that risk...so I'm going to make it that there will be only one of us left standing, nothing personal..."

"I doubt that" Talia comments as Nyssa throws a punch her way. Talia leans on her back as the fist misses her. Nyssa follows up as she kicks across the air. Talia grabs her sister's ankle and throws her against the floor. Nyssa smirks as she jumps to her feet. Nyssa cracks her neck and charges towards the other woman "You have gotten slowly in your old age" Talia comments as she ducks out the way of another of Nyssa's punches. The older sister grins as she rams her head up and hits her sister in the forehead which knocked her back.

"In a fight to the death, it's not about who hits harder...it's a matter of who hits last. You should know that" Nyssa chuckles as she lifts her knee upward and kicks towards her sister. Talia knocks her knee back with her own and grabs Nyssa's shoulders and throws her older sister over her head. Nyssa lands on her feet and brushes herself off. Talia swings the katana in her hand as she tracks her sister's every movement "Let's face it. You are going to die, Talia and then I will pick up the pieces of where our father left off"

"Not happening" Talia comments as she swings her blade at her sister. Nyssa ducks under the swing and shoots upward to grab her sister's right hand and snatches the blade right out of it. Nysa jumps back, now being the one to hold the blade. Nyssa brought her other hand to the other end of the blade and snaps it in half, throwing the two pieces to the floor.

"Using weapons, Talia? What's the matter? Are you too scared to face me on an equal playing field...well you should be" Nyssa comments as she kicks at the woman which Talia evaded by backflipping away. Talia fired back with shoving her elbow at Nyssa's face. The older sister side-steps and kicks her sister in the kneecap with her boot's heel; hard enough to draw blood. Talia grunts in pain as Nyssa keeps up her assault as she quickly moves behind Talia and wraps her palm around her neck, squeezing tightly and causing the younger sister to gasp for air "Sorry, Talia. We are family and all, but we both knew that one would end up killing the other. It would be either me or you...so I hope that you understand..." Nyssa laughs.

"I comply-completely agree" Talia responds in weak breaths as she grabs her sister's hand and snaps two of the fingers that held her throat. Nyssa gasps as she moves back from Talia as she looks at her hand, and the two bent out of shape fingers. Her index and middle finger were bent backward "Arrogance was always one of my favorite weak spots of yours. The look on your face never got old, not even now. I am having flashbacks back when we were kids - you made that exact same face of surprise back then too..."

"You left out one little detail there... I won all of those fights" Nyssa runs forwards at Talia who kicks at the woman's stomach; knocking Nyssa on her back against the ground. Talia grabs one of the parts from her broken sword and holds it over her sister's head as she stands over her.

"Things change. Nyssa, you chose to betray father's orders, thus you betrayed the League of Shadows and for that...you know what must be done. You must pay for your crimes against the League, goodbye sister" Talia tightens her grips on the blade; causing for her to bleed down it "I wish that you had not put me in this situation" she tells Nyssa as she rams the blade downward. Owlman watched on in silence, obeying Nyssa's orders.

Talia's eyes widen at the blade was knocked out of her hands and was knocked against the floor and with it was a bat-shaped metal object "That was quicker than expected" she comments as she looks up to see if the man she was thinking about was there. Owlman's eyes narrow as he too looks around the room. Nyssa's eyes narrow and her lips curve into a smirk. Kicking upward she tightens her legs around Talia's waist and shoves her down to the floor. Another Batarang came out of the darkness as it slices against the rope that tied Jim Gordon's wrist; freeing it. Jim instinctively began to untie his other wrist.  
Owlman rolls his shoulders back "Finally. We can at last end this" he comments.

"**Be careful of what you wish for**" Batman warns from the darkness "**I am putting an end to this. No one is going to die today, you will be put where you belong - in a cell**" Owlman looks as he sees something move in the corner of his eye, a black blur on his vizor. From above a pair of white eyes stare down to Owlman, Nyssa, and Talia as he reaches into his utility belt and pulling out around black ball. He drops it onto the ground, it rolls until it shoots out three streams of smoke that cover the area.

Owlman shoots his head to look at the ceiling, but there was no one there "Come out and face me like a man! Stop using tricks, and fight me" he growls as his white eyes cast through the cloud of smoke that covered the stage. He pulls out a pair of daggers that he holds to his chest.

Jim untied legs and jumps to his feet as he makes his way to Barbara. He begins to unbind the rope from her wrists "Barb, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. We are going to get out of here" he tells her. Barbara nods at his words "How's your hand?" he follows up.

"Hurts. It hurts" Barbara whimpers.

"Hey, it's going to all be alright" The commissioner comforts her.

Owlman's eyes narrow as he walks forward "I said show yourself! Are you going to let your girlfriend do all the fighting for you?" he growls as something drops down from behind. A shadowy figure glares at the man. Owlman lifts his daggers as he hears something approaching him from behind "You can't win. Neither can Talia. You will both die here tonight, the city will forget all about you and they will remember me for the rest of time...!"

Owlman turns on his heels and slices across with his daggers, but he finds nothing to actually hit. Just the smoke that was beginning to fade away. Owlman turns again and this time he was greeted with the silhouette. Batman's forms his hands into a fist and punches Owlman's helmet knocking him back; causing for the vizor to slightly crack and for one of the white orbs to vanish; only leaving one and for the other. The man underneath's eye was shown and was the same color as Bruce's.

Owlman jumps forward as he slices his daggers across each other and at the dark knight in which the shadowed figure just narrowly steps back from as they scrape against the chest of his suit. Batman kicks upward and to the man's stomach, and then throws a fist into Owlman's face. The dark knight then grabs the man's left arm and throws him over his shoulder; causing him to be thrown off the stage and out of the curtains into the main showroom. Batman follows after as he too leaps off the stage to find Owlman once more; leaving both al Ghuls alone.

Talia's eyes widen as she sees Nyssa winding up for another punch. The younger sister used both of her hands to catch Nyssa's fist. The older sister smirk as she uses her knee to deliver a blow in Talia's stomach "You have pissed me off" Nyssa grabs Talia by her hair "Forget about what I said earlier - this is personal" she spits at her sister. Talia headbutts the older woman. Nyssa releases her grip on the woman's hair and moved her hand to her nose where she was bleeding heavily from both nostrils. She could tell that her nose was broken by that move.

"Is that the best that you can do? How disappointing" Talia comments as she throws a punch to her sister. Nyssa growls as she uses her free hand to knock Talia's fist away. She then kicks upward; hitting Talia in her neck; making her gasp. Nyssa grins, grabbing Talia by the neck and throwing her onto the ground. The older sister moved quickly as she sat over Talia's stomach and forced her hands on her neck; squeezing tightly. Nyssa slams her sister's head on the ground repeatedly as she shook her.

"Father made a mistake in entrusting you with the league's future. Both you and Bruce...I should have been the one...I will be the one to continue his legacy. I will show the world the true might of the League of Shadows! Goodbye Talia..." Nyssa mutters to Talia who was trying to fight against her sister, but to no result "Now go to hell!" Nyssa spits at her sister. The oldest sister's eyes shot open and she let out a scream as a knife was shoved into her upper back.

Nyssa turns her head only to see none other than Barbara holding the handle to the knife, the same one that Nyssa rammed through her hand "Where' my daughter!?" the redhead says under her breath as she twists the knife in the wound of Nyssa's back "WHERE IS SHE!" Nyssa' turns on her feet and slams the redhead down onto the ground, only to kick her right in her face. She holds her hand to the knife in her upper back and with an intake of a hard breath yanked it out which was accompanied by a howl of pain.

Talia was still lying on the ground as she gently presses her hand against the surface of her throat, she breather much harder as she tries to recover her breath. Nyssa looks onward as she sees both Jim and Alfred throw punches her way. She grabbed Gordon's first and turns on her heel and throws him at Alfred. Both men were knocked into each other and were thrown onto the ground. Nyssa rubs her hands together as she admires her work "Should have killed them earlier...yeah..." she comments as she sees Gordon try to get up "Bad boy" she grins as she kicks the man in his chest; rolling him onto his back.  
"What did you do with my daughter?" Jim wheezes and holds his sides.

"Doesn't matter. It's not like you will live long enough to actually see her" Nyssa leans over Gordon, kneeling over his chest and holds the knife to his throat "I will tell her how just how weak you are. That you died in a pathetic manner...she will come to be ashamed of you, and she shall follow me as I train her in the League of Shadows. She will help cleanse the world of the criminals that plague it. She will become something that you have spent all those years trying to stop! I tell you this with your dying breath..."

* * *

**Meanwhile**  
Batman was thrown across the balcony of the room. His was knocked across several rounded tables as he sees Owlman quickly following behind "This has to happen, Bruce. Now you are only delaying the inevitable at this point. You just dragging out what must be done" Owlman follow suits after the dark knight as he rolls off of the table and vanishes among the countless rows of seats "You are just wasting my time! GET OVER HERE AND FIGHT ME - EITHER I KILL YOU OR YOU KILL ME!" Owlman sees the figure at the corner of his eyes. Hurling one of the daggers towards the direction, Batman slides out of the way; leaving the dagger to cut into the wall behind him "This is what I have been training for! This is my destiny! NOW FACE ME, COWARD!"

"**Destiny? You are a slave to Nyssa - you think she will have any problem killing you once you are no longer useful to her? She cannot be trusted**" Batman's voice echoes throughout the large room. Owlman's eyes widen as he looks around to locate him.

"I owe her. She saved my life - I was unstable, practically rotting from the inside. But she found me...gave me a chance to make something of myself. It is the only thing that I have. Everything else, my face, my voice...my DNA...IT'S ALL YOURS! I am tired of being a copy, I will be the only one of us" Owlman's eyes narrow as he spots Batman above him on railings of the top floor "You don't get to judge me when you had everything! All your friends to keep on the right path...a home where you could sleep soundly...money to feed yourself and never go starving like me! I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS LIFE AND I AM SICK OF THE WORLD USING ME AS A PUNCHING BAG BECAUSE OF YOU!" Owlman leaps upwards towards Batman "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Batman jumps off the railings and grabs Owlman in the air "**No matter how harsh the world may be...you still have a choice to do what's right**" the two crash onto the ground; breaking the tables that they each land on. Both men roll off the broken tables as Owlman throws a fist towards Batman who countered it with his own. Owlman struck with his knee with Batman doing the same as he knocks it back. Batman spins around and punches the man in the chest where Owlman caught both of his firsts "**Who you become - That is your choice and yours alone! I chose to leave Gotham to become someone who could protect it! You were made as a tool and you choose to be used! You don't have to be a weapon or a tool...you can be a hero - all you need to do is decide right here and now if you want that for yourself**" Batman growls as clashed his helmet with Owlman's.

"I will be a hero! One that will not hesitate to make the hard decisions - Everyone shall face justice equally! I will protect this city in a way that you can only dream of. No one will be exempt from my judgment - innocents will be able to walk the streets safe again!" Owlman growls. Batman's eyes narrow as he knees down and punches the other man in the stomach; causing him to step back due to the force. Batman then grabs a hold Owlman's helmet and pushes it down as she rams his knee up into it. Owlman was thrown to the ground as he looks to the dark knight.

"J**ustice? You kidnapped a little girl who had nothing to do with this! You are not a protector - no guardian! You are just bully and I have fought my fair share of them. You are scum and I will put a stop to you tonight along with Nyssa! HEAR ME! This game is over**" Batman yells as his hands were formed in fists as he stood over his doubleganger.

"SHUT UP!" Owlman uses his remaining dagger to swipe at the man. Batman stomps his foot on the man's hand. Owlman couldn't feel pain, but he heard a loud crack and afterward he could not move his hand or his fingers. Batman readied his fist and rapidly punches Owlman's helmet over and over as it cracks slightly more with every blow that he deals. After a few seconds, the rest of the vizor has been cracked. Batman grabs onto the mask and rips it away from his owner, throwing it across the room.

Bruce was expecting to be greeted by the sight of his likeness, though his hunch was proven right - it was not in the way that he thought it would be. On the ground was lying was not a man after all, but of a boy. One that was lost and confused, Bruce's teenage self - before he left Gotham. Batman's eyes widen in disbelief as he sees the boy looking up at him "**What...how is this possible. What the hell is going on?**" Batman mummers. This wasn't a man who made the choice to become a killer - this was just a boy who was confused, tormented by his own demons, however, unlike himself, he never grew up. He never had that chance. No one gave him that opportunity.

"The Lazarus healed me...but not even it could fix me. I'm still just a freak made in a petri dish...you want to know why I don't feel pain? It's not because I'm immune to it...I'm always in agony, I've just got used to it...but I can't take it anymore...I was never meant to live this long...I should have died a long time ago, but Nyssa saw something in me...I didn't want to go along with it, I really didn't...but it was the only thing that I had...she was the first person to actually see the good in me...can you blame me for being desperate to please her?" Owlman whimpers.

Batman presses the button on the neck of his suit "I kept treating you like you were a monster...but all these years. You have just been a scared kid that never had the things that I did. You didn't have the people to keep you on the right track as I did. I'm sorry...all this time I never thought of things from your point of view...you were just thrown into a world where you never got to live through it as a child...as someone who felt loved, you were always alone...just hoping for someone to care for you...you are what I could have become if I did not have the friends that I did..." Batman lowers his head as he holds out his hands to the other man "I spent so much time as Batman...I forgot what it was like to be a scared kid..."

_*In trying to create a creature that could take on the underworld of Gotham, I fear you may have unleashed a monster far greater than even you realize*_ Batman hears Alfred's words in his mind as they finally click with him as he understands the meaning in his words.

"What have I become?" Batman asks himself.

Owlman refused the man's hand and remained to lie on the ground "Please...kill me. I can't go on being an imitation of you. Gotham needs you...I always knew that deep down that I could never live up to you. It was a foolhardy dream, but it was mine to have - the only thing that I could call mine..." Owlman's closes his eyes "I never belonged to this world - I never had a place in it. Please kill me...I can't do it myself...this city belongs to you...your legacy will be grand..." Owlman pleads.

"It doesn't matter how many times that I use the Lazarus pit...it is only a temporarily solution. My body will keep on dying over and over...the Lazarus may heal me, but that will only begin the cycle once more. I'm just living on borrowed time...I thought about not using the Lazarus...but I don't want to decompose while I am still breathing...so I am begging you for an act of mercy...please kill me...end my suffering...I can't go on in this pain..." Owlman's eyes water as he looks up to the dark knight.

"I'm sorry...I can't, I've already gone too far. I'm not going to take a life on top of that...even if you asked me too, I won't" Batman turns away from Owlman as he begins to walk off "I'm sorry" he adds.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Good riddance, Commissioner" Nyssa lifts the knife above the man's neck. Nyssa jumps back as a Batarang was thrown into her right hand; causing her to drop the knife "Son of a b-" she curses as she holds her wounded hand "I'm going to kill you for that!" she turns around and sees Batman as he grabs her by the throat and chokeslams her onto the hard surface of the rolls back until she was on her knees "I'll take it that my Owlman lost your little gambit?" she uses her free hand to pull out the Batarang from her hand.

"NYSSA! I am putting a stop to you! I am going to put you behind bars where you can never hurt anyone ever again! THIS IS MY CITY AND YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" Batman shouts as he throws another Batarang towards her. Nyssa smirks as she grabs it between her index and middle finger.

"Don't do this. You can't win" Talia tries to stand to her feet "You should have just let me kill her..." she gasps for air while she holds her throat.

"No. No one is dying today, no matter how much I hate your sister. I will not let her life be taken and most of all...not by you. Talia, I can't have you kill your sister...you will never forgive yourself. At the end of the day...she's still your family" Batman walks forward as he cape flaps behind him "She needs to pay for her crimes, killing her now will only be letting the people of Gotham go without justice for what she did all those years ago..."

"You are making a mistake...my love. Nyssa cannot be held in a prison...the only way to stop her...is to stop her for good" Talia grits her teeth as she finally stands back up.

"You really should listen to my sister...she knows what she is talking about. You are going to regret not letting her finish me off" Nyssa charges forward and swings a kick at Batman who used his hand to stop it. Nyssa jumps up and curves her elbow and rams it down on Batman's shoulder; catching him off guard "Like you are probably doing now" she sniggers as she throws a punch at Batman's face. The dark knight kicks the woman's shine and put her off balance. He then grabs the back of her head and throws her across the ground as she falls on her front.

"My only regret right now is that I let you escape Gotham in the first place..."

Batman replies as he sees Nyssa stand back up, she turns her head to face him with a grin on her face "You might be onto something there" she runs forward at Batman who grabs her and throws her over his shoulder. Nyssa manages to counter him as she wraps her legs around his neck and drives him onto the ground. The dark knight's eyes narrow as he sees the woman trying to kick his face. He grabs her ankle and twists it; heating a snap, he was sure that he had broken it. He then uses his hold on the woman's foot and pulls her towards him as he reaches out for a Batarang from his belt and rams it into her leg as she fell to her knees "Good work...you are no longer the boy that was at my mercy"

"**Now you are the scum that is at mine...give up, you lost**"

"If Talia can't beat me that easily...why do you think that you can? the older sister stands back up.

Talia looks over to Batman "My love...allow me to finish this, once and for all. You can't keep this up against her..." she tells Batman who seemed to completely ignore her "Are you listening to me? She is only testing you...and she's about to get serious..."

"**So am I**" Batman shoots back.

"In that case...please forgive me, my love..." Talia begs him as she quickly grabs onto his shoulders and through him to the ground. She then looks over to Nyssa "Time to die" she hisses as she appeared to be holding half of her broken blade "No more outs for you"

"I wasn't looking for any" Nyssa laughs back.

Both women look up as Owlman drops back down with wearing his cracked helmet. His eyes narrow on the floored Batman "I wish there was another way, but my loyalty to Nyssa is absolute and I will not betray her trust..." he tells the caped crusader.

"**Then you can share a cell together then...**" Batman calls out, standing back on his feet.

"I had more like them sharing a tomb in mind, but we can cross that bridge once we come to it" Talia replies to the man stood next to her.

"More like you can jump off that bridge and don't worry...I will be more than happy to give a push..." Nyssa remarks as both she and Owlman stand next to each other as they look at the duo opposing them. Gordon was still slightly winded from his earlier blow, but he could still make out just what was going on "Shall we dance? I heard couples night has some killer offers" Nyssa and Owlman run at the other two. Talia and Batman look at each other, nodding as they part way.

Owlman throws a punch at Batman. The dark knight grabs the other man's arms and throws him over his shoulder where Talia kicks him to the ground. Talia then readies her sword and swings it through the air, barely missing Nyssa as she slides under it. Standing back up, the older sister grab's the younger sister by the hair and pushes her right into Batman; tripping him up. Owlman took his chance and uppercuts Batman who was too slow to be able to stop the fist.

Batman kicks upward which Owlman slides out of the way off and throws his own kick at the dark knight who easily managed to counter it. Grabbing Owlman's arm and pushing him to the ground as he plants his foot on his back and pulls his arm "**You have a chance to stop this, please take it. You can finally be free...you can have a life of your own**" Batman warns Owlman who growls. Batman quickly moves out of the way as he dodges a swipe from Nyssa's fist. His eyes narrow as he rapidly avoided all of her attacks, every punch, kick, and even her attempts at trying to trip him up.

Talia moves behind her sister and wraps her arm around her neck. She shoves her forward and then kicks Owlman across the ground. Batman catches Nyssa by the throat and slams her to the ground with force "That all you got? After all this...you are still going soft on us..." Nyssa sniggers as she brings her knife and shoves it into the man's arm. She then forces herself up and kicks him to the ground "My father was misguided to have faith in you lead the League of Shadows...he would be rolling over in his grave right now...you dare come here and try to stop me? Just who the hell do you think you are?" Nyssa growls.

Batman attaches a small black box onto Nyssa's arm which begun to flash bright blue. He kicks her off of him and rolls back and sees the confusion in her eyes as a loud sound was approaching them at an alarming rate. Nyssa looks on in horror as a massive swarm of bats break into the room; shattering all the windows and begin to surround her in a somewhat cyclones as they begin to attack her, biting at her, scratching and even screeching in her ears. The older al Gul screams at the bat's relentless assault on her. She tries to shield her face with her arms to help minimize the damage that she was taking, however, her face was already heavily scared from the creatures as they flock around her and her hands were just as scared.

She falls onto her knees as she tries to fight off the swarm as she swings her arms all around like they were bees, but unfortunately they were not so easily fought off "**I am vengeance, I am the night...I AM BATMAN**" a voice echoes. Nyssa looks up as she sees the bats almost open up space as the shadowy figure's white eyes glare right at her as he kicks the woman right in the face which knocked her unconscious on the ground. The device on her ceased flashing and with it, the swarm of bats slowly died off as they fly upward and out of the building.

Batman brushed his shoulder as he tilts his head to Talia holding her katana to Owlman's throat. He quickly turns on his heels and grabs his grapple gun and aims at Talia. The line shoots out and attaches itself to Talia's back. Batman hastily tugs at the grapple to drag Talia away from the other man; leaving her in shock at his actions. Batman storms off to Owlman and grabs the man's shoulders as he lifts his up "**The girl, where is she!? You already have done enough damage - make it easy on yourself and tell me where she is**!"

"The basement. I never wanted to take her - it was Nyssa's orders. I'm sorry...sorry...I didn't know that things would be taken this far..." Owlman whispers. Batman let go of his grip and let Owlman fall back onto the ground of the stage. Batman turns away and looks over to Talia who was looking back at him as she massages her aching muscles.

"**Check on the others, if you kill him or Nyssa... I will be back for you**"

"As you wish" Talia replies as she glares to her sister that was lying on the ground. Her eyes slowly drift aside to look at the blade in her hand. Her green eyes reflect the shine of the katana as her own reflection could be seen on the weapon "It would be so...easy to..." she thinks to herself. Her vision then turns to the three other people. Jim, Barbara, and Alfred who appeared to be knocked out. With a loud sigh, she throws the blade on the floor "This is his city...I will play by his rules...no matter how foolish they are..."

* * *

**The Basement**

Barbara Lee Gordon's eyes widen in fear as she sees the door to the room begin to barge out, over and over again. The girl's hands and legs were tied together and her mouth was gagged. She was beyond frightened. She only wanted to see her parents again. She begins to shake as the door begun to be hit even harder until it was completely knocked off of its hinges and he stood there. The man from three months ago, the man who saved both her and her father.

Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she sees Batman steadily walking towards her "I'm not going to hurt you. You mother and father are upstairs...I'm going to bring you to them. I promise" he carefully removed the gag from her mouth, then he brought out a Batarang from his belt and cuts the rope that was binding her. Barbara was in amazement at the hero. It was really him, she could hardly believe that he was the one who rescued her.

"It's you! Daddy said that you were a good guy...I knew that he wasn't lying!" she cheers as Batman lifts her up into his arms. He lifts his cape as almost a blanket to comfort the girl as he begins to walk out of the room with her "Dad really looks up to you. He says that you are a hero and that he was hoping that you and he could work together one day" she tells the dark knight as the faintest of smiles appears on his face, one that you would have to be looking for it, just to see it.

"**I would like that too**" he replies.

* * *

**23 Minutes Later...**

"Oh thank god!" Barbara Kean thanks the heavens as she and Jim make their way to their daughter. From the rooftops, Batman stood as he looks down to the three among a cluster of police vehicles and Ambulances. He took a gentle breath, breathing easily as all now seemed peaceful now, but he knew that it would not last forever. Batman slowly turns around to see Talia standing behind him with her arms behind her back. Her green eyes look into his.

"Nyssa and she accomplish still breathes as you made me promise. They are still alive, but we have a bit of a conundrum here, lover" Talia was soft spoke like a great deal of care was in her voice as she looks to the man stood in front of her "They both know who you are...and have both committed crimes against the League of Shadows, even though I did not take their lives...there will be others out there who would easily silence them both. Even if they somehow survive...they will use their knowledge of your identity against you...they can ruin you and jeopardize my father's prophecy for us..." she tries to warn the man.

"Nyssa is the only problem, her friend. Owlman as he was called...I have that handled. He is just a scared kid...he didn't ask for this. Nyssa used him, manipulated him into becoming a monster. He deserves to have a second chance" Batman replies as he looks down to the streets below "Nyssa is not a citizen of Gotham...she belongs with the shadows, right? You are taking her back to Nanda Parbat to face judgment their?" he observes as he can feel Talia give a single nod.

"The blood of the al Ghuls runs through her veins, thus she shall face justice appropriately," Talia tells Batman.

"You are planning to kill her, aren't you?" he questions, already knowing the answer to his question.

"You are more than welcome to try and stop me, Bruce. But you only just recovered - Father always spoke of the dangers of using the Lazarus so soon after its previous use, apparently...it can drive you mad" she walks over to him and places her hands on his shoulders "Though I do like to get a little crazy...especially after a heavy workout...what do you say, lover? For old times sake?" she whispers in his ear. The stoic figure remained still as his eyes narrow.

"Take Nyssa and leave Gotham...and never come back" Batman orders.

"About that...I have come to be attached to this city...it is very...intriguing. I already had my people in the shadows set up a place for me to stay in Gotham. The League of Shadows will be dealing with Nyssa...they say that my sisterly love may interfere with my judgement...so I won't get the honor of finishing her off myself" she walks in front of him and places her palms on the man's face "So it looks like I will be staying here for a while...you know, to enjoy the sites, getting to know the locals...the usual. There is no need to worry, my love...I'm not getting involved in the petty crime of this city...that is all yours..."

"What are you staying here for?" Batman doubts her words.

"Maybe if you are a good boy...I may tell you...you may have to ask me nicely...if you catch my drift..." she leans in and plants her lips on his "But...I'm planning on being a bad girl..." she coos before parting away from him and smiling "You won't be seeing much of me though...from this point...you are on your own...farewell for now...my love. We will meet again one day soon...and when we do. You will accept your place as leader of the shadows - and you will not be able to say no" she blows a kiss his way as she jumps off the building; leaving Batman stood alone as his cape slowly moves in the gentle breezes of the wind as he looks down to Jim, Barbara and their daughter who seemed to be hugging and smiling together.

_"I must say, Mr Wayne..your taste in woman is quite something..._" Lucius comments from the other end of the call.

"And there it is" Batman groans at the man's words.

From the ground. Jim turns his view up as he sees Batman stood on top of the building. Barbara Lee Gordon saw her father's actions and did them herself. She looks up to the dark knight as a smile forms on her face "Daddy...he is a hero" she tells him.

"I never doubted him for a second" her father replies with a smile.

* * *

**Gotham Central Hospital**

Gently knocking on the door to the room, Jim Gordon enters as he sees both Harvey and Harper awake "I came as soon as I heard. Sorry that I couldn't come sooner, but I uh...well you know" he tells his partner. The commissioner walks until he is stood next to Harvey as he sees that Harper was awakened as was smiling at them both.

"Jim...you was right...Harper told me everything" Harvey pats his partner on the back.

Harper nods "The bat-guy tried to stop the guy who did this to me, he may have even saved the lives of so many other officers. Please tell me you got that owl-looking bastard in lockup" she asks the commissioner who slowly shook his head.

"Batman stopped him. Batman saved us and made sure that Nyssa and her partner would never do this again. He didn't kill them, but I trust him enough to make sure that they will never think about returning to Gotham again" Jim honestly answers.

"Batman? Now...that I like...it has a ring to it. How did you come up with that, partner?" Bullock asks.

"I didn't. I heard him call himself it. He saved my little girl...Barbara and Alfred. He is a hero. One that Gotham in desperate for...I finally have hope that Gotham will be able to change now...maybe it can become a better place for us..." Gordon answers.

* * *

**Gotham Docks**

Batman's eyes focus on the man stood in front of him, his clone, his doubleganger, his reflection of what he used to be. The man wasn't wearing his costume and instead was dressed in a black shirt, jeans and a black overcoat as he held a bag over his shoulders. Batman could barely look at the man as it reminded him of the day when he left Gotham himself, the man looked identical to how he looked on that day that would go on to define him "You're leaving? And without your costume" Batman asks.

"I saw you tonight, Bruce...the rage in your eyes. It finally gave me a clear idea of what I was trying so hard to become. I realized that I never want to become like you. It's nothing personal...it's just that I can't trust myself to control my anger as you can. The self-control that you have...it's nothing like mine. Knowing me...I would just end up killing over and over again if I was to follow the path of a hero" the doubleganger spoke softly to Batman.

"You are welcome to stay in this city. I can arrange for a place for you...I can have my company start working on a cure for you. You don't have to keep living at death's door. I can help you have a normal life as you deserve. You don't have to feel like you don't belong here..." Batman tells him.

"Sorry, but Gotham doesn't need me. It deserves you...someone who can choose between right and wrong, someone who will never give up on the people that he loves...Bruce...I became a killer...I took lives...they may have been criminals...but I should still feel bad, but I don't. I don't feel any sympathy for the men that I have killed...for the criminals that I murdered. That's not what a hero would do...I'm not sure that I could stop killing if try to be a hero, that's why I am leaving Gotham. The city gets to you...change you...but not you. You are really the one who will save it..."

"If you are planning to leave...where are you planning to go? You need the Lazarus pit to stay alive" Batman tried to remind him.

"Whilst I trained with Nyssa, we travelled all around the world, thus I know of all of the Lazarus pits...there's a city not too far with one...Bludhaven. I'm going to try to find something to do with myself...something where I can find meaning in living. Just like you have...I want a reason to go on, and I just feel that Bludhaven is calling out to me...plus I hear that crime has been picking up there in recent years...so if I ever do continue the hero-gig...at least I won't be bored..." he turns his back at Batman and heads towards the boat placed at the end of the peer.

"Wait, what should I call you. 514A can't be used for someone trying to keep a low profile" Batman comments.  
"Name? I never thought of that..." the doubleganger stops in his tracks "But now that I am thinking of it...I do like the name...Thomas. It feels...right..." the now named Thomas looks back to Batman with a smile as he salutes "Thanks for...knocking some sense into me...both figuratively and well actually punching me, then it's the thought that counts...Bruce, do you think that I can earn redemption for what I have done?" Thomas asks.

"It's not about being worthy of redemption...just do what you feel is right. If truly are able to be redeemed...you have nothing to worry about - take care, Thomas. I'll be keeping an eye out for you" Batman calls over to Thomas who smiles as he starts walking to the ship.

"Wish me luck then..." Thomas shouts back as he climbs up the stairs to the ship.

"Good luck..." Batman whispers.

* * *

**One Week Later...**

**Wayne Tower R&D Division**

"What's up, Lucius. You don't usually call me up out of the blue to meet you. I don't know why you couldn't tell me this over the phone" Bruce stood with his arms folded as he looks to the man stood on the other side of the table who appeared to be holding a small lead box in his hands. Lucius placed the box down onto the table next to Bruce.

"Over a month ago I deciphered one of the strongest encryptions that I have ever seen over any kind of transmission. It was far more complex than any military equipment that I have worked on in my time. I took I rook almost a week to decipher it...and a lot of coffee. Anyway when I finally managed to decrypt the message it showed me coordinates to a small town in Kansas that over twenty-three years ago...was hit by a large meteor shower..."

Bruce lifts the box from the table flips the lid. His eyes widen as he sees a small rock-shaped object that seemed to be glowing green "You called me here for a meteor rock? Hey, Lucius. I'm all for exploring outside of our own world, but there are already plenty of these things to choose from on the planet..." Bruce studied the rock.

"The rock is the least of it. The transmission when it was fully translated sent quite the message..." Lucius looks as Bruce closes the lead box and places it back on the table "It said...with this rock...the last son will die. I traced the origin of the transmission, but the furthest I got is in the city of Metropolis. I think whatever the person behind is planning to cause some serious trouble especially since the radiation of these rocks are far greater than I have ever seen..."

"If you are worried...then that means that worrying is warranted. Okay, Lucius. I need you to try and learn more about the signal...I will make my way to Metropolis as soon as I can. A fundraiser is sure to drown all suspicion for my sudden choice to go to Metropolis..."

"Understood" Lucius replies.

* * *

**Chapter End.**

**And that is Chapter 9 done and with it is the first part of the story. I mainly chose this storyline to fill in the gaps that the show had left open (which is more than I originally thought) **

**Also for chapter 10, as previously mentioned, the new storyline will begin. This one should only be a few chapters in comparison to the 9 used to write this storyline. It will focus around the first meeting of Batmam and Superman in the Gotham universe. This will help expand the world of this story and will make way for what is to come down the line.**

**Also should I continue on this story or begin a new story as a follow up to this one for second storyline? I have been thinking about it and it will help the stories feel unique to each other. Anyway let me know what you think.**


	10. Superman

**Superman **

* * *

**_1 Month Later..._**

"_Master Bruce, you do realize that you do have plans tonight? You should have already been on your way to Metropolis by now_" Alfred's voice spoke to the dark knight as sounds of quick movements, and the sound of grunts echo throughout the room. Loud thumps and swooshing from the world's greatest detective adds to the overzealous arrangements of harsh crunches and quick screams from a group of seven masked thugs heading off against the knight with baseball bats in hand and with one holding a handgun, a few were even just simply using their fists. Batman's eyes narrow as he jumps back and takes out four Batarangs from his belt, two in each of his hands. He gives a sly smirk as he throws the four bat-shaped projectiles at four of the men.

"**I'll be there...I am just finishing up here**" Batman admires his work as he that his Batarangs had knocked away the thug's handgun and locked it down on the floor. He sees the other three Batarangs had knocked away three of the thug's bats, leaving them without any weapons and ripe for the taking. Batman left-hooks one of the men, spinning on his feet and using his cape to knock two of the men on his right side off balance. He grabs both of the men's heads and rams together; knocking them out.

_"May I remind you that this whole event was indeed your idea, sir"_

Batman lifts his foot and kicks another of the thugs in their chest; sending them back, The Dark Knight finishes him off with a single punch to the cranium "**I said I'll be there**" he replies with a soft growl which was made even more apparent with the effect of the modulator on his voice. Batman throws a punch behind him which struck one of the four remaining thugs that tried to take a swing at him. Only three of the criminals remain in sight and they were going to have just as much luck as the previous five. Which wasn't something that they will be excited to know.

"You're dead, freak!" one of the men yells at Batman as he managed to grab one of the bats that were previous resting on the ground. Swinging it towards the vigilante in a raw adrenaline-filled state. Batman raises his arm and lets his gauntlet take the hit. The bat was broken right in the middle as it flies across the floor. Batman quickly rams his elbow down on the man's upper back which succeeded in knocking him to the ground and lefts him out cold.

Two of them were left, no weapons, and no hope of winning the little brawl against the bat. Batman leaps forward and grabs one of the men by the collar and throws them against the ground, forming his hand into a fist he quickly ducks out of the way from the last man giving one final hope-full punch at him, but of course, it worked as well as expected. Batman grabs the man by his shoulders and hurls him at the semi-conscious man lying on the ground that was sent there only a few moments ago.

"**There. They are out for the count. I will be heading back now. Let Gordon know about the mess here**" Batman walks towards one of the downed men who he could see still had some consciousness left within them. He firmly plants his boot to their throat and glares down at him. The man crawled at the knight's boot, but to little avail "I **know who you work for! Tell me where Black Mask is!" **he growls at the floored man who was giving what little strength he had left to try and fight against Batman.

"I ain't tellin' you squat" the man spits his words out due to the pressure of the boot placed against his throat.

"**Talk right now or never again. The choice is yours**!" Batman threatens the man and increases the pressure of his boot on the man's jugular.

"OKAY! OKAY! I'll talk! I'll talk! I don't know where he is...I SWEAR! He comes to us...and anyone who knows where he is who isn't supposed to have a habit of just vanishing. All I know is that he is not working alone" the man gasps between breaths. Batman lifts his foot slightly to assist the man in talking.

"**Who is he working with! TELL ME**!" The Dark Knight growls.

"I dunno them exactly, I've only seen their faces - never heard their names. There has been one who has just appeared out of the blue! Some nice lookin' woman. Apparently, the guys heard Black Mask refer to her as the demon's head - That's all I know! I SWEAR!" the man yells. Batman's eyes widen as he stomps on the man's head; knocking him out.

"**I knew that her staying in Gotham wasn't going to end up being a good thing**" Bruce thought to himself as he walks towards the door leading to the outside world. Walking out into a bleak and far too dirty even for an ally way, Batman looks onward and sees a slim black car parked outside with black wings pointing out from the roof and the vehicle's sides. Pressing his index finger on the button on his gauntlet he sees the car's roof slide back to allow entry.

"**Alfred, I'm on my way. Be there soon**" Batman speaks through the communicator as he jumps over and seats himself in the seat of the Batmobile. The roof to the car slides shut. The windows seemed to be clear from his side, but anyone outside the vehicle would see nothing but black screens and as a bonus, they were even bulletproof. Batman presses his heel against the accelerator which caused the Batmobile to drive off faster than any car should be able to. Hearing a beeping coming from the front, he removes one of his hands from the wheel and presses one of the buttons on the side of the dashboard "**Lucius, what's up?**" he asks as he swivels around a corner.

"_Oh nothing, Mr Wayne, just checking in on how the car is performing. I hope that you aren't being too rough on her - she is brand new after all" and is not built like a tank_" Lucius Fox asks as his voice was sent through the speakers placed on the dashboard's centre. Batman presses his thumb against a button at the bottom of his cowl to turn off his modulator.

"The car is perfect so far and it sure as hell beats having to grapple everywhere. The car is having a little trouble turning sharp corners, but I am sure that you can fix that. For the first real-world trial...it is without a doubt some of your best work" knowing that no one could see him, Batman gave a smile to follow after his words "It's a good thing that you called me, since you are coming with me to the fundraiser tonight, I should let you know that Luthor is going to be there - I'll try to get as much out of him as possible, of course Bruce is going to have to be the one who does the sweet talking tonight"

"_Shame with his rap sheet...he deserves a one-on-one meeting with Batman. Just don't make it too obvious that you are aware of his...after hour business ventures. If he suspects that you are onto him...who knows what lengths he would go to, to silence you"_ Lucius cautions the dark knight.

"I would like to see him try. Luthor has more enemies than I do right now...and that's saying something. I will be heading out to Metropolis soon after I return to the Batcave. Meet me at Wayne Tower afterwards. I have to talk to Alfred first, I will keep you updated"

* * *

**Metropolis**

"Hi, I would like to be put through to Bruce Wayne? Yeah, I know that he isn't able to answer, but can I at least leave a voice mail? Lois Lane...yes from the Daily Planet...what do you mean that you never heard about me? I'm like one of the biggest reporters that the Planet has. Yes, I know that Bruce Wayne is from Gotham...I am well aware, but I wanted to book him for an interview and ask him why he thinks inviting Lex Luthor to his fundraiser is good publicity? Hello? Hello? Unbelievable...they hung up..." Lois Lane, a brunette, wearing a red jacket that was buttoned up.

Her eyes widen, looking up she sees a red-blue blur fly past above the streets. A red cape is reflected in one of the windows of one of the skyscrapers that the blur passes by. People all around the streets point into the air at the figure with glee and smiles. Their eyes full of hope "Look, it's him!" a little girl tugs at her father's hand as she looks up as she tries to get her father to look at the man in question. Just as quickly as he appeared...he was equally gone at the same speed.

Lois closes her flip phone and lets out a groan "I wish I could fly...the first thing I would do is make my way to Gotham and go kick the guy who hung up on me's ass. I would send him right to the moon" Lois puts her phone back into her purse "Oh well...I guess I just have to fly the normal way just like everyone else...the world is so unfair...Luthor gets an invite to the first ever Wayne event in Metropolis, but I don't? I know the press gets a bad rep these days, but Bruce trusting Luthor over anyone from the planet is so not cool!"

"At least Smallville didn't get invited either so there's something..." Lois thinks to herself

Across the city, on the edge of it was a raging fire that set blaze to a five-story building. A pantaloon of firefighters was trying their hardest to hose down the soaring flames with most of them holding the hose and the rest were busy helping the escapees of the blaze. Smoke was soaring high in the sky, far greater than any normal fire could be capable of "There are still people inside, what are we going to do?" one of the firefighters called out to the chief who has no response ready.

"Look up in the sky!" one of the bystanders calls out to everyone else as she points up.

"It's a bird..."

"A plane?"

"No...it's...him!" the chief firefighter smiles as he looks up and sees the Man of Steel. As a red cape flutters in the air. A red-blue-blur flies into the building and just as quickly flies out while holding the hands of a man and woman. Slowly descending on the ground, red boots press against the concrete road and next to the firefighters. He lets go of the man and woman as one of the firefighters escort them away. The man of steel then looks back to the building, taking a deep breath the man in the red cape unleashes a large force of an ice-cold stream of breath at the blazing structure which quickly dampened the fire and soon put it out; leaving the building with only the excess smoke that remains.

The firefighters crowd around the red-caped man with awe "That was amazing...you saved our asses there" the chief tells the man of steel.

Superman sends a smile out his way and shakes the chief's hand "Nonsense. You got most of the people out...you all are the heroes here, not me. I was just helping out", Superman, the man of tomorrow some people call him. Others may choose to refer to him as The Man of Steel, but everyone knows him as Superman.

The man who dressed in a blue suit with the red cape that dangled down to his ankles. The shield on his chest that showcased the "S" that inspired people. The red boots that plant themselves on the ground every time he becomes earthbound. A face that everyone knew and trusted, even the slicked back hair with a curl on his forehead, but it was his smile that assured everyone. The honest, friendly and true smile that he proudly wears. Everyone knew that that smile is what makes them believe in him. He has nothing to hide from them and they sleep soundly knowing that he is out there.

"Still...we owe you big time. You have been helping us out a lot lately with this sudden surge of fires" the chief responds with a smile back at the Man of Steel "You have saved a lot of lives"

"So have you, all of you. I am proud to know that you are the ones who choose to save the lives of countless people even with the risk of being high. Ladies, gentlemen...it's been my honour" Superman salutes the men and women and gives a wink before he take-offs from the ground and takes his place back in the sky over Metropolis. Lifting his left arm ahead of him he quickly becomes the red-blue-blur that shoots through the air, waiting for the next cry for help.

* * *

**The Batcave**

"Are you sure that the man was talking about Talia? Her code would never allow her to work with the likes of Black Mask" Alfred places down a silver tray on the table next to the bat-computer. He looks to his right side and sees Bruce closing the glass case on the storage unit that held the Batsuit. Bruce was now dressed in one of his different kinds of suits. A specially tailor-made suit, fancy and fashionable. A black jacket and white shirt, along with a red tie. The wrists of the jacket were fitted together with the cufflinks once used by his Father.

Bruce sees his reflection in the glass case that held the Batsuit "They said that Black Mask calls her The Demons Head, which means that he knows about the League of Shadows. I just don't understand why she would align herself with someone like Black Mask. I am just as confused as you are, Alfred. The League would never think about working with Black Mask or anyone like him - which means Talia must be trying to play him. I am honestly scared to find out just what she is planning"

"You did train with her for years, Master Bruce. You have probably gotten closer to her than anyone else in her life, besides her family. If anyone would have some knowledge of her psyche, it would indeed be you. You must have had a good idea of her when you and her were together" Alfred tells Bruce.

"That's the thing, Alfred. I did love her...more than I loved anyone before, but Talia is smart, clever and worst of all...cunning. Maybe the person I fell in love with was never real in the first place. She could have just been trying to manipulate me into following my so-called destiny. I'm starting to notice that I'm not the type of guy that goes for the normal girls. One of my exes is a professional Cat Bugler and the other is the leader of one of the most dangerous groups of assassins in the history of mankind. I hope one day that I can meet a woman who is just...normal and try not to screw it up in the process..." he tightens his tie and turns to Alfred.

"If I may comment on such a rich and engaging topic. This is the life that you have chosen...truth be told - if you keep up this crusade of yours...you will never be able to find that one normal girl that you speak off. You may just have to make do with the fact that in your line of work...love is a rare, but a lasting sensation. Miss Kyle and Talia may be the most normal girls you may ever love" Alfred stands with his hands behind his back as he looks to Bruce.

"Speaking of which...did Selina respond to my messages?" Bruce asks.

"Afraid not, sir" Alfred replies.

"I see. Listen, Alfred. I'm heading out to Metropolis right now. I should be gone for no longer than a few days, but I want you to keep me in the loop about the happenings in Gotham, also standby on contact just in case I need my other suit..." Bruce looks back to the glass case "Gordon should be fine managing the petty crimes on his side, but just in case anything bigger shows up - you are to tell me immediately" Bruce tells Alfred who gives a quick nod in response.

"You can take the man out of Gotham, but you cannot take Gotham out of the man. I will give you regular updates every hour on the hour. You have my word" Alfred reassures the man "I know that you are going there to meet with Lex Luthor, but please do try to enjoy your time outside of Gotham, sir. I would do you good to get away from it all" the older man smiles.

Bruce and Alfred head towards the elevator at the end of the room "Last time I left to get away from it all...it was only to come back one day. I normally wouldn't go for leaving Gotham, but Lucius says that it is worth looking into - and I have yet to see that man be proven wrong about a single thing. Am I glad that he is working for Wayne Enterprise who knows what a guy like Luthor would have him do" they both step into the elevator as the gate shuts behind them. Alfred pulls one of the leavers attached to the side as they begin to ascend, leaving the Batcave empty.

* * *

**Selina's Apartment**

Crawling through from the fire escape and into her apartment. Selina was greeted with the place that she called home. Dressed in her black jumpsuit and cat-shaped helmet and goggles she manoeuvred her way across the room. She has a small black bag in hand which she unties the rope that sealed it. Sitting down on her bed she shook the bag and emptied it, allowing for what is inside to spill out across the sheets, a pile of small diamonds were formed, she didn't bother to count but she knew that it was enough to full both of her hands.

"That was way too easy. When am I ever going to have a challenge. The thrill is half the fun for me" Selina unstraps her helmet and throws it across the floor "Though seeing the look on the guy's face in the papers should more than make up for the bore fest" she gives a grin as she scoops up the diamonds in her hands "I am at least looking at a payday of half a million if I go to the black market" she puts them back into the bag and ruffles her hands through her short-cut black hair.

Her eyes green eyes slowly look over as she sees that her answering machine was flashing. Since the only one person has been calling her in the last few weeks, she could make an educated guess about who was calling her "Okay...time for *Bruce's cruddy apology of the day* , seriously, if you are going to apologise at least do it in person, or dinner or anything than a message over the phone...I would even take a much more intimate way of apologising" Selina rolls over and presses the top of her answering machine. Selina looks to her side as a white cat jumps up to greet her as it rubs its head against her leg.

[You have two new messages]

"Two? just for me, Bruce? Wow, what a lucky girl I am" Selina strokes the cat.

[Message 1]

/Bleep/

"Selina, I know that you have been listening to my messages. Look, I'm sorry that you ended up getting shot because you stuck your neck out for me, even though I sure as hell didn't deserve your help, thank you. I would come and see you, but I find talking over the phone so much easier. It's hard to look someone in the eye when you have caused them so much pain...I can't bring myself to meet you in person, I'm sorry"  
Selina looked down to cat that was rubbing its head against her leg "So. The same half-baked apology as before - check. Making it all about himself, saying that he is too ashamed to meet me in person - check, and thinking that saying *I'm sorry* for avoiding me in person and treating me like I don't have a say in the matter - check. Look at that folks - we are three for three"

"I just wanted to tell you that just in case you wanted to meet me...that I am leaving Gotham...but only for a couple of days at most. There has been something that came up in Metropolis - I have some business to attend to. Please call me back when you can...you mean a lot to me..."

"If abandoning me for ten years is *meaning* a lot to you...god knows what shit you would pull if you actually loved me" Selina rolls her eyes and lies back down on her bed. The white cat jumps off of the bed and walks off "Okay...time to your second *apology* of the day" Selina rests her knuckles against her head. She crosses her legs and looks up to the ceiling.

[You have one new message]

/Bleep/  
"Hey, Selina. It's been a long time - I've missed you...somewhat..."

Selina sits up and looks confused "That voice...Bridgit? Talk about a blast from the past" she comments.

"Rumour has it that you have become quite the *handywoman* these days. I got a job for you...well my employer does. He needs you to steal something for him...and before you ask - he will make it worth your while. He is offering you six figures for this job. How does 3 Million dollars sound? In cash...no questions asked...if you are interested then come to Metropolis...my employer will sort out all of your travel, of course. Go to the Gotham docks...there will be a chopper ready for the you...no need to worry - they are expecting you..."

"3 Million in cash?" Selina raises an eyebrow as her eyes lit up "Bridgit...it has been some time, just what are you up to? Consider this cat now...curious. Bridgit has always been a Gotham Gal...now she is hiding in Metropolis. Maybe what I need is to see an old friend - a psychotic one, but an old friend none the less. Maybe she has become more chilled over the years...oh who am I kidding...she's still probably fuming" Selina flicks her hair as she jumps to her feet "And just when I thought I would be done with this thing tonight" she looks down to her jumpsuit, feeling it slightly damp by the rain outside.

"Three million dollars, getting to meet Bridgit again and getting on good terms with a very wealthy client - now that is a three-for-three that I like. But if I go to Metropolis...Bruce will be there. The irony is not lost on me, not even now. Oh well, screw him anyway. It's not like I am going to be face-to-face with the Batman. Not even Bruce can explain that one without looking suspicious that both he and Batman show up at the same time...I should be good to go"

* * *

**The Daily Planet**

It is hard to miss. The tall building in the centre of the neon-lit city, full of warm blues and reds among the buildings. Above the building was a large golden globe to signify just what it was. The building stood tall, large among the other skyscrapers of Metropolis.

"Clark, we need to find a way to get in there. The Wayne Fundraiser is the biggest event of the year in this city, and I will be damned if I will not be a part of it" Lois tells the man that she was walking next to. A timid-looking man. One with a slight slouch, and a habit of being clumsy. Wearing a pair of glasses that looked to be a size too big and his hair that slicked across his head. Wearing a cream-coloured trench coat over his white shirt and black tie and waistcoat. He held a briefcase in his right hand, settling it on his desk which was opposite Lois'.

"Honestly Lois, I think our time is better suited to find out what is causing the sudden surges of fires all around the city. Today was the tenth large scale fire in the last two weeks. I can't accept that as a coincidence or the fact that Lex is always ready to sweep in and buy those buildings for dirt cheap" Clark Kent adjusts his glasses as he looks to the brunette.

"You think that Luthor is behind this? Really, Smallville? I know Lex had his illegal dealings in the past, but you are talking about him using mass arson? That's quite the stretch that you got there" Lois comments with a coy look that she sent Clark's way "Plus there is a fact that all the fires have been said to be caused by faulty wiring, there were no signs of arson found" she adds.

"Those buildings have been there for decades, hundreds of years in some cases, and it's only now that they become faulty? All at the same time? I just find it hard to believe" Clark tells the woman as he looks down to the newspaper next to his briefcase which Lois picked up on.

"Clark. Even if your outlandish theory is correct...we still have Superman to put out those fires. So there is no need to worry yourself" she gives a light playful jab to the man's shoulder "Plus Bruce Wayne is what is going to end up selling papers. I can already taste the promotion coming my way"

"I would rather prefer to stop the fires altogether. Prevention is better than cure as they say. If they keep up...there may end up being some people that he'll be too late to save" the man adjusts his glasses once more, almost as a nervous tick that he couldn't help.

"Says you. You don't know Superman as I do. I haven't even seen you meet him in person. Everyone believes in him to save the day, that's what he does. Listen, Clark. You can keep at your foolhardy investigation, but I got a party to attend...which I need to be invited to first...I'll figure it out" she raised an eyebrow and smiles as she heads towards the elevator to the floor "Let me know if you come up with anything..." she calls out as the doors close behind her, but Clark was already gone. Once again, the red-blue-blur zooms past, high above the streets of the city.

* * *

Bruce was sitting in a seat in his private jet, funded by Wayne Enterprise oversite him was none other than Lucius Fox. The jet was high in the sky, thousands of miles above the ground as it moves through the air, but still below the clouds. Bruce swirls around a small glass of whisky in his hand"I should be arriving in Metropolis in less than an hour. I hope that Gotham has not suddenly gotten worse" the man speaks out loud.

_"Gotham should be fine without for a few days, sir. But I will let you know If anything comes up, just focus on the task at hand"_ Alfred replies to Bruce over the communicator next to his seat. Bruce leans back in his chair, crossing his legs.

"This is just a simple investigation. I will get what I need to know and leave. That's all" Bruce reminds Alfred.

_"But as a man with your line of work. I would be hard pressed to believe that you are not without your backup plans"_

"If Bruce Wayne cannot get Luthor to talk...then Batman can give it a shot" Bruce smirks as he looks outside the window, seeing the small buildings from a deep below on the ground. Lucius is going to help me locate the source of the signal, getting him at the centre of the city should give all he needs to finish the decryption. As soon as we enter Metropolis air space we are to enact radio silence. Luthor isn't one to let someone just as powerful walk into his city and make a scene without him getting the drop on them..." Bruce tells Alfred.

_"Understood, Master Bruce"_

Lucius looks over to Bruce "If it even comes to needing Batman. You will be glad to know that your suit is available to you at any time when you need it, but I'm afraid that the car will have to remain in Gotham. There was no way we could sneak that into Metropolis without drawing suspicion"

"Thanks, Lucius"

"It may not be the suit that you are used to, but it's basically the same - with a few alterations. Nothing too major though" Luscious adds.

* * *

**_Chapter End_**


	11. Luthor

**Luthor**

* * *

Gotham Docks, the cold, dark and silent passage out to the river for most, but tonight there was something more on the pier that oversees the river bank of Gotham. A helicopter was stationed right at the pier's end. Selina Kyle, the notorious Cat Burglar known as Catwoman steadily walked over to it. Dressed in a black leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up, her hair was brushed over to the left side. Her green eyes pierce right at the chopper as she made her way to it, holding a leather brown rucksack over her shoulder, which held her costume.

"I can't believe that I am actually doing this..." Selina scorns herself through her own thoughts as she is equally disappointed with herself as she was intrigued by what would await her when she would step back onto the ground. The woman's eyes focus at the chopper as the door was pulled open, revealing the inside of it. Next, she sees a man step out. She took note of the man, who had slicked back brown hair and who was not near clean-shaven as he was shown to have stubble under his jaw, not quite enough to be a beard, however, it was noticeable if you looked long enough. The man was dressed in a tight-fitting black shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and a loose collar and a pair of black jeans. Selina's eyes locked onto the man's left wrist which had a golden watch on it, one that she knew would cost thousands.

Their eyes meet "So, are you the tool that wanted to hire me? I should warn you that I charge a premium price for my services" she tells the man. The well-dressed man gave a coy smirk at the woman's words as he steps out of the chopper, he looks to her.

"Your client: my boss wishes to remain anonymous for this job. My name is John Corben, I am here to deliver you to the location of the job, miss Kyle. You are going to follow my orders - word-for-word. You are to finish the job in the time that we want you to, you will complete this job - my employer is placing a large amount of trust in me for this endeavour. I want to make one thing clear, you were not my first choice, but your friend convinced me that you are unknown in Metropolis. You will be the best bet for this job since no one will be looking for you"

"I don't care. You got the money, Johnny?" Selina rests her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow alongside her inquiry. John Corben lugs a briefcase out from the chopper and holds it towards her. He gives her a smug smirk as his eyes meet her own. Selina had no idea why she was thinking it, but couldn't help but notice how easily he was carrying the briefcase singlehandedly. Her mind also wondered how she hasn't even seen him take a single breath since he got here.

"It is Mr Corben to you, understand? This is strictly professional, Miss Kyle. Now if you would be so kind and get in?" John tells the woman which she followed, but with a sigh beforehand. They both sit in the chopper. Selina's eyes focus on the briefcase that was now resting next to the man sat opposite her "Not so fast, kitty. Get the job done, then it is all yours" John crosses his arms "Also...put your seatbelt on" he tells her as the chopper begins to take off "It's going to be a few hours until we land in Metropolis"

"And I am going to have to put up with you for that long? I may as well just jump out now...it would be less painful" Selina batted her eyes, leaning back and crossing her legs "Just let me know when we get there - this cat is going for a nap" she tells Corben.

* * *

**Metropolis, LeX Corp**

"Sir, Bruce Wayne is here to see you"

"Send him in"

The doors to the office were pushed open as Bruce walks into the room. Before him stood Lex Luthor. A bold man who was dressed in an equally fancy suit like him. Lex wore a black glove on his left hand, he gave a look to Bruce, one of intrigue as he clipped shut a black briefcase that was full of paperwork "You must forgive my surprise. I thought we were meant to meet at the party in a few hours. So what brings a man like Bruce to Metropolis?" Lex questions.

Bruce straightens his tie "The fundraiser tonight, odd I thought you would have known...since you were on the guest list" he answers the man's question in a confident tone. Luthor took note of the man's body language, he holds his arms out to his sides.

"But why Metropolis? I thought your priorities were focused on Gotham - gods know that the city needs all the help that it can get. Metropolis has a record-low crime late. The lowest in all of America, but your city? The kids there can learn the alphabet by using the names of all those freaks that it has...it's the most dangerous city in all of the country" Lex leans against his desk.

"I've come here to discuss the business that we planned over the phone. I thought that we could get a head start on it now"

"I appreciate the gesture, but unlike you...I actually run my company. I don't like putting all my faith in the board, I am a very busy man. We made the timeslot for that tomorrow, so if you would please excuse me" Lex points to the doors "I have plans already, but I would love to catch up at the fundraiser later..." Lex adds.

Bruce walks forward as he stands in front of one of the paintings in the room. He steadily places a small object under the frame behind his back "Oh come on, Lex. A man with your power and resources can delay a meeting once in a while. Trust me, I am a master at it. Just take 10 minutes of your busy schedule to go over our proposals"

"What is there to go over? We both want to branch out to the other's city, but the locals are giving us both trouble. You help sweet talk your Mayor in letting Lex Corp open up office in Gotham - And I will have the Mayor let Wayne Enterprise open up here in Metropolis, sure there are some specifics that we need to go over, but we have already arranged to do that...tomorrow" the Luthor reminds Bruce as he clearly shows Wayne that he was losing his patience.

"Got a lock on the signal, Bruce" Lucius spoke to Bruce through the communicator that was placed in his ear "Beginning decryption now...And got it" Lucius informs him.

"Okay, Mr Luthor. If you think that is the best action, then I will humour you. I will see you at the fundraiser tonight, remember it starts at 10 on the dot, your donations are greatly appreciated" Bruce gives a slight nod to Lex as he begins to walk out of the room.

"Mr Wayne, I feel it is best that I warn you that flying too close to the sun will not work out for you, it didn't for Icarus, and it certainly will be the undoing of you. So I am giving you a friendly warning...don't get too close to that sun...because you will get burned and fall. Whatever you are really up to? Whatever you might be planning? Just know that this is my city...my eyes and ears are everywhere, take care, Mr Wayne" Lex gives a light smirk as he sees the man leave the room and the doors close behind him.

"_The signal is around thirty percent decrypted, just got a whole lot of firewalls. This may take a little longer than expected, Mr Wayne. Get back to me in an hour, I should have it all done by then. Whatever this signal is...it can't be a good thing, whatever it is...it seems Lex Corp's satellite is sending whatever is in the signal all over the world. I may need to reprogram the Wayne Satellite to locate just where the message is being sent to..._" Lucius tells Bruce.

"Do whatever you have to, Lucius. Lex is naïve and may be messing with forces that he can't fully comprehend. You made a right call in bringing this to my attention, we may be able to stop him from making a terrible mistake" Bruce replies in a lower tone of voice "I will be making my way to the fundraiser now, which means that I will have to put on a smile for the press. Shouldn't be too hard" Bruce adds.

_"Try to make it look convincing will you, Bruce?_" Lucius jokes on the other end.

"I'll try" Bruce smiles.

* * *

The night had overtaken the city of Metropolis, unlike Gotham, the city was just as beautiful in the late hours. Neon-blue lights light up the city in all its glory, the city was just as lively and the people of the city have flooded the grounds of it, the city was a safe haven for most, a utopia compared to Gotham. Cars drive past on the roads, the cloak of the night did not disparage the people, in fact, they seemed to be even more fond of the late hours that took the city.

The chopper lands down on the harbour of Metropolis, on the edge. Selina Kyle steps out as her green eyes look over at the city, she saw its beauty and its serenity. She found it to be a far cry from the state of Gotham, but deep down, she felt slightly homesick. John Corben exits the chopper after her. His eyes look to her as he gives the woman a coy smirk "It must be quite the surprise for you, considering the mess that your precious city is in. Metropolis, the city of tomorrow. One of the most peaceful cities in all of America, even the world...now come on. Your partner is waiting" he comments.

"Hold on. Partner? You never said anything about me having a partner. I only go at it solo. Having to babysit others will only hold me back" Selina argues with John as she gives him a firm glare, she tilts her head and places her hands on her hips "They will only slow me down" she adds.

"Oh don't misconstrue my words, miss Kyle. You are meant to steal the goods by yourself, but she will destroy all the evidence after you have completed your job. I hear that you and she used to be quite close when you were children" Jon Corben replies with a sharp smile and a tooth-filled grin "This job must be done, my boss is putting a lot of trust in me to accomplish this. You will get your three million dollars after you do what we hired you for, then you can go on your own way. If you stop mouthing off, I may even give you a ride home"

"Oh come, John. Can't you help a gal out? If you give me the money now...I will be very grateful to you...I won't tell a soul..." Selina whispers to the man as she slowly reaches for the briefcase that he was holding "It will just be between us, okay?" she winks at him.

"Get the job done. Our friend will get you up to speed, though it shouldn't be a challenge for you...the more difficult task will be trying to not get her to kill you" he jumps back into the chopper and waves; letting the piolet know that it was time that they left "Don't pull anything stupid, girl,. I will know and even worse for you...my boss will know too. And he isn't as forgiving as I am" he calls out to her as the chopper ascends into the air and flies off.

"Wait, where is this friend of yours? A little information would go a long way!" Selina calls up as John who was clearly out of hearing range. She rolls her eyes and lets out a frustrated groan, tapping her heel against the ground she looks away from the sky "What am I supposed to do now?" she talks to herself.

"We do our job" a voice calls out from behind.

Selina turns her head, recognizing the owner of the voice.

"Bridgit? I should have known you were the girl that creep was talking about. Tell me, girl, how have you been? Gone on any murderous rampages lately?" Selina asks the other woman. Brigit Pike, AKA Firefly - her body is covered in third, second and first degree burns. She was dressed in a much more advanced gear compared to when they last met face-to-face. Though the bug-eyed goggles were the same as before, the rest of her outfit has taken a turn. Her body was covered from head to toe in black armour that was slightly tinted gold in some areas. Selina could still see the eyes off her once friend underneath the goggles though she had to look hard to see them.

"It is Firefly. Bridgit Pike has burned to ash long ago. Before we get down to business I really want you to know that I want you dead, I want to burn so badly, but I need your help to keep up this gig. It has been raining green lately and I need your help to keep it that way. If you help me with this job...I won't burn you alive. I will let get the hell out of the city and spare you until the next time we meet, understood? If it wasn't for your recent unlawful activities...you would not be standing before me today, got that?" Firefly's voice was slightly distorted by her helmet, but Selina could tell that it was her.

"That's good. For a moment there I thought you didn't like me" Selina gives a light chuckle.

Firefly's eyes narrow from under her mask "You better shut it. You are the reason why I am like this"

"What? You did that to yourself" Selina gasps.

Firefly steps forward and tights her left fist "Funny because I remember that you came with that guy to my brothers with that job which caused them to make me do their dirty work!"

"You mean those brothers that you BBQed?" Selina raises an eyebrow in response.

"Damn right. Remember...I did that to them without thinking twice...so you really shouldn't push me" Firefly warns Selina.

Selina rolls back her shoulders "Okay, Okay. I can sense that there is some tension between us. Let's just agree to talk only about business on this trip, agreed?"

"Sounds good" Firefly growls at her.

* * *

**Wayne Fundraiser**

The room was full. An assortment of people gathers around the room. At the end of the room, stood a woman in a black dress in front of a microphone stand as she sang into it as a piano was played behind her "Somebody save me, let your warm hands break right through it. Somebody save me, I don't care how you do it, just stay, stay, C'mon, I've been waiting for you...I see the world has folded in your heart, I feel the waves crash down inside. And, they pull me under, I would give you anything you want, oh. You are all I wanted, All my dreams have fallen down, Crawlin' around and around and around, Somebody save me..."

Bruce taps the communicator in his ear "How goes the work, Lucius? Have you got any further in deciphering the signal?" he asks as he swirls a glass of wine in his hand, he looks out to the room. Hundreds of people joined him at the event, none of which who he recognized but they all knew him. He was near to feel intimidated by all the unknown faces that were there with him "Our friend has not arrived yet, but I got a feeling that Lex isn't late because of a flat tire"

"_Though you managed to plant that decoder in his office, I may need more time than originally thought. I don't exactly have all the resources that I usually do. But I am approaching to 75% decryption, but the more I decode...the more firewalls that I have to contend with...and the more I hack...the harder the next one becomes. If they keep up this pattern then I am sorry to say this, but it will take a few days to fully complete and by then...Lex might know that someone is hacking into his systems_" Lucius explains over on the other end.

"I know that you can do it, Lucius. You haven't let me down once in my time knowing you" Bruce replies. The billionaire's eyes widen as he sees a brunette woman step in front of him with a smile. Wearing a red dress with a silver chain-necklace and white arm gloves. Her eyes meet his.

"Sorry...uh miss...?" Bruce questions the woman who holds her hand out to shake his.

"Lois Lane...I work for the Daily Planet. Didn't you get my messages?" she asks.

"Lane? Oh my secretary got your messages...all two hundred and eighty-four of them, and that was in a span of sixty-seven hours" Bruce tells Lois as he folds his arms.

"Hey. I wouldn't have to leave all those messages if you actually called me back? I wanted to get you for an interview. I feel that the people of Metropolis deserve to know why a billionaire from Gotham chose to hold his event in our city, plus there is the fact that there are whispers that you and Lex Luthor are working together on some project? You are aware of Luthor's criminal record, right? How has done illegal dealings before, so I want to know why working with him is a good idea in your mind? Could it be that you also like partaking in unlawful activities yourself? Wouldn't be a stretch considering how most Gothamites are" Lois asks her list of questions at the man while keeping her chirpy smile.

"I'm sorry miss Lane, but did you just..." Bruce was speechless at the woman's words. Not because he had nothing to say in response to her, but that he couldn't choose which part he should say first. Lois noticed the man's phlegm was beginning to fade in her prescience.

"Oh my god...I didn't mean for that to come out as it did. I swear I only have admiration for Gothamites. I'm sure that you lot do the best that you can in that city of yours...oh...I just did it again, didn't I? Okay...uh...do-over. Hi, I'm Lois Lane. It's nice to meet you..." she holds out her hand again with the same charming smile that she used before "I was previously trying to ask you about why you are working with Luthor. What time can we set up an interview for? You will finally take me to the front page" she speaks to the man as her voice booms with confidence.

"Sincerest apologies, Miss Lane. I have other plans while I am here" Bruce shoots back as he straightens his tie.

"Can I at least have a quote?" Lois asks in disappointment.

"I would, but what I want to say isn't something that should said at such a formal event, goodbye, Miss Lane. Just for you...I will tell security to leave you be...since you were not on the guest list. Take care" Bruce smiles at her as he walks off; leaving her standing by herself.

"Oh if he wasn't so rich...I would..." Lois thought to herself.

Bruce looks over his shoulders to see if anyone was watching him and when he was sure that he was in the clear he presses his earpiece "Alfred. Use the Batcomputer's face recognition software to locate Lex Luthor. Right now its search parameters are only for Gotham Try recalibrating it to also include Metropolis" he tells Alfred.

"_Way ahead of you, Master Bruce. You will find that I have already taken the liberty in doing so. Lex was seen walking into to one of the Lex Corp warehouses not too long ago, and that's quite odd..._" Alfred observes. Hearing the man's confused tone, Bruce tenses up.

"What is it, Alfred?"

"_He also seems to be in the company of a Mr John Corben...which is quite odd since John Corben was pronounced dead last year, however, no body was ever found. Both Lex and this Corbin seem to be in the company of a number of men that are listed in the Metropolis' criminal databases_" Alfred explains.

"Thanks, Alfred. I will check it out" Bruce taps his earpiece again "Lucius, I'm coming back to the jet to retrieve the suit. Something strange just turned up"

"_It's ready for when you arrive, Bruce. But I must warn you that the city's hero may not appreciate you coming in and causing trouble. I would watch my back if I was you"_ Lucius replies.

"I'll try not to overshadow him"

* * *

"Okay, Selina listen carefully...your job is to steal whatever is kept in the safe at the top floor of this building..." Firefly points to the map that was rolled-out in front of them "We will only get one chance to do this. If you screw this up... I, Corben and our boss will have it out for you and will not rest until you are dead. The top floor is heavily guarded, one of the most protected buildings of the whole city. motion trackers, lasers, 24-hour surveillance and armed guards patrolling the floor..."

Selina gave a light chuckle "That's it? I break into tougher guarded places in my sleep. This is going to be a cakewalk"

"You seem really confident. May I remind you that unlike Gotham...this city's protector actually has superpowers. He can hear you all the way across the city, and he will come after you if he figures out what you are doing, he has already put out all of my fires so far..." Firefly adds.

"Fires? I wasn't told anything about setting fires" Selina questions.

"Hello? You are talking to me! After our job is done...I will set the building ablaze and destroy any and all evidence of us ever being there as well the stolen goods will be assumed to have been destroyed by the fire as well my boss will be able to buy the building for pennies afterwards. You get your money, I get my money and my boss gets what he paid for and the building, along with the contracts to repair them. It is an all win situation here. We need to be there in an hour...so I suggest that you get changed, princess"

"Hold on. No one is getting hurt, right?" Selina urges Firefly who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"You are a thief. You hurt people all the time, sure not physically, but they will be mentally scarred by your greed, so stop acting like you are a good person. No one buys it, not even your boyfriend" Firefly growls at her "Honestly you actually beating them would probably leave fewer scars than your thrill-seeking adventures. You know sooner or later than you are not going to be able to help yourself and steal straight your sweet old boyfriend, Bruce Wayne"

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with" Selina hisses as she reaches for her rucksack that was next to her feet "I am going to get this job done, collect my money and get the hell out of this city. And hopefully, never have the displeasure of your company"

Firefly nods "I too want you out of this city. So let's get on with it"

* * *

Bruce pushes on his gauntlet and flexes his fingers, tightening his hand into a fist. Black fins flip upward from the glove.

Selina zips up her black jumpsuit at the front. She pulls her gloves over her hand much more tightly as she rakes the sharp claws that were attached to her nails. .  
Bruce clips his utility belt around his waist and pulls his cowl over his face.

Selina straps down her helmet and pulls over her orange-tinted goggles she gave a low smile. Pulling up her boots and attaching her whip to her left thigh she found herself now ready for the task at hand.

Bruce's cape drops down and touches the ground which he stood on.

Selina's green-eyes pierce through the lenses of her goggles as her irises narrow into firm slits. She tilts her head and cracks her knuckles with each other. Some of her hair was pressed down by her helmet and was visible through her helmet.

Bruce stomps his boot against the ground as he looks up. His cape slowly falls around his shoulders and overlapped over the other end of it.

* * *

Batman stands above the streets of the Metropolis, stood on one of the tallest buildings in the city. His eyes look out into the distance towards the warehouse that was brought to his attention. His cape was blown by the much more gently and clear breezes of wind, one thing that he could instantly tell was much different than his own city. His eyes narrow and gets a run off of the building and begins to quickly descend to the ground around thirty stories below him.

He lifts up his arms and his cape expands. He begins to glide across the skyline of the city as he heads towards his destination "_Be careful, Master Bruce. Lex will be sure to have top-notch security. Keep an eye out, will you_?" Alfred asks. Batman's shadow begins to be moved against the buildings that he glides past. Bringing his arms inward he controls his descent as he slowly lower himself towards the ground, but he kept high enough to keep his altitude.

"**For their sake...I hope that they do. If Lex doesn't want to make it to my party...then I will just crash his...**" Batman replies as he was quickly approaching the target. His eyes focus on the roof of there Wearhouse. There was a segment of glass, most likely the skyline. Batman gave a smirk as he decided on his way of entrance. Batman quickly taps the side of his cowl. His eyes turn orange as his eyesight was changed to heat-vision

He sees seven Targets from within the warehouse. One of which he could tell was Lex Luthor from the lack of hair. Focusing further he sees that the men were indeed carrying firearms such as shotguns, which was nothing new to him. Though something seemed to be slightly off with the sight. One of the seven men appeared to have nobody heat or so little that his heat-vision could not pick it up, except for in his chest Batman had never seen anything like it before, he found it quite strange.

From inside the warehouse, Lex Luthor and John Corben stand beside each other. Lex flips open his briefcase as he rests it on the workbench "I am putting a lot of faith in you with this one. Are you sure that she can handle the job?" he asks as his gloved hand picks up a pile of paperwork from the briefcase.

John Corbin gives a soft nod in response "She's the best in the business. She is more than capable of doing the job compared to anyone in Metropolis. She knows that if she doesn't...she won't make it long enough to see the sun come up" he responds as he sees Lex look to him.

"Good. Once she finishes the job...kill her. I don't want any loose ends. A criminal like that is bound to turn on us to fill her own pockets with green eventually...I know that I would. Also, contact Winslow, I want to get an update on the progress of the device. Let him know that I will not accept any further delays. I have been fully funding his work for the past year, so I expect him to be done" Lex comments as he looks through the paperwork.

John folds his arms "Already taken care of. Firefly was given the order to kill her once they make it back to the base, as for Mr Schott, I will get right on that once I return to LeX corp. There is a more secure line there. Don't worry Lex, the project is almost complete. All our hard work is going to soon pay off. We will soon take back our world"

"This world is full of those freaks these days. How is the common man supposed to prosper in a world bloated with gods and monsters? I am doing my fellow men a great service in doing this. This world belongs to mankind, not those...pale imitations of us. That is why the plan must work. If not...I fear the future of mankind in this world..." Lex gives a quick glance to Corben "It is our duty, once we establish contact with our friend in Gotham...nothing will be able to stop us"

From outside, Batman holds his arms to his side to begin his descent down towards the skyline. Crashing through the glass, he quickly holds out his arms to once again expand his cape to lessen his impact. All seven of the men look at the vigilante as the glass shards fall behind him. Batman rolls onto the ground and grabs one of gun holder's head and slams it into his knee; knocking him to the ground. Two of the armed men aim at Batman and begin to shoot. Batman runs and jumps over to cover. He pulls out two Batarangs from his belt and jumps out of his cover, throwing them towards the men that shot at him. The Batarangs slice through the barrels of both the shotguns.

Both men look puzzled as they see the state of the shotguns. Batman leaps forward and grabs one of the guns and whacks them on the head with it. Batman jumps backwards and delivers an uppercut to the other man which left four of the men which only two were left armed. One of the armed men tried to take a shot at Batman, but the vigilante was fast enough to pull the gun away from his sights; the shotgun instead shot the floor and Batman headbutts the holder of it.

With only one armed man left. Batman was at ease to deal with him in any way that he decided. Batman grabs the man's arm and throws him over his head and lets him hit the floor with enough force to knock him out. Batman turns his sights upon the last two men. Lex Luthor and John Corben, the same man who showed now heat signature before. Batman throws a punch towards Corben who easily caught it with his own hand, which caused Batman's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise! The Batman in Metropolis? So I guess that Heroes do need vacations" Lex observes as he watches Batman who was having his fist crushed by John Corbin "I don't know why you are here, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the recent hacks I have been experiencing, right? What? You thought I wouldn't know when my network was being compromised? No one messes with me nor my business practices…" Lex comments.

Batman's eyes widen as he feels his hand being crunched by the hand of John Corben "**What the hell are you?**" he growls. John Corben grinned as he reaches down with his other hand and places it on Batman's shoulder and lifts him up.

"I am the man who is going to kill you bat" John answers Batman. The Dark Knight turned on his heel and tried to throw the man over his shoulder and to the ground, but it didn't work. The man was way too heavy to do that, heavier than he should have been. It was like he was made of metal "Nice try, Bat" John wraps his arms around Batman's throat and pulls him closer to him "It takes a god to bring me down...so what chance do you think that you have?" John smirks.

Lex Luthor stands himself in front of The Dark Knight "A mere man against a world of freaks. I respect that about you, Batman. You make a stand for normal people like you and me. You give them hope that those monsters do not have the right to control their lives...that the people shouldn't have to live in fear because of those freaks. In a way, you could almost say that I admire you and what you stand for. So it's a shame that you had to come barging into my city and against me. You could have given the people true hope..., disappointing. Kill him, Mr Corben. I sleep soundly knowing that I don't get blood on my hands" Luthor orders as he walks off and grabs the paperwork and returns it to the briefcase.

"Well looks like I get the honour" John laughs. Though the moment was short lived as a red-blue-blur breaks into the warehouse and shoves John Corben across the room. John was thrown against the other end and was hit into a wall. His eyes narrow as he looks across as sees Superman. Lex's eyes widen as he looks over to Superman.

Superman's eyes look to Corben "You need to learn to play nicer, John. I could hear the ruckus from across the city, don't worry...I won't tell your parents" The Man of Steel calls over to John. Superman stood with his hands on his hips and his chest out wide to fully showcase the shield on it, including the S that was placed in it "Mr Luthor...I thought you were going to that party tonight? Ah, don't sweat it, I'm not a party person either" Superman looks at Luthor "And...a man dressed like a bat? You are a long way from home, aren't you? Sorry about your experience here...tourists always seem to have the toughest times here"  
"You made a big mistake coming here" John growls as he stands to his feet "Don't you remember the last time that we met?"

Superman charges forward like a blur as he punches John through the building and out into the outside world "I do...you gave me that same opening back then." Superman lifts one arm forward as he flies out of the room to follow after Corben. Lex quickly grabs the briefcase and makes a break for it. Batman's vision slowly comes back as he sees that Superman has forced the other man away from the site. Superman's eyes widen as he sees John getting back up in the middle of the street, after being punch easily over a hundred yards by The Man of Steel. Superman descends back onto the ground as he looks John "you were once a good man, John. We don't need to fight here...I know people who can help you" Superman spoke with concern to John.

"Help? Go to hell" John growls. The left side of his face appeared to be damaged, cracked in several places. Most noticeable was the green light that appeared to be coming from beneath the damaged tissue "I rather just kill you" John yells at the other man.

"Fight me if you want, but not here. There are innocents around us, they have nothing to do with this" Superman beseeches Corben as he slowly approaches the damaged man "You can't be alright with harming bystanders. I am asking you to give up before someone gets hurt" the man in the red cape continues his plea to Corben. Superman slightly tenses up as he gets closer to the man and his breathing becomes more heavy with every single step that he took "John, listen to me. Working for Luthor is not where you belong. You did a lot of good before, and you still can"

"The only good that I plan on doing is killing you" Corben smirks as the green glow beneath the cracks of his face brightens "A god like you has no place in this world" he forms his hand into a fist as he sees that Superman was having even more trouble coming towards him with every step. It was like he was in pain, both Corben and he knew the cause of it.

Superman gives a light smile towards the other man "God? You got me all wrong. I'm just a man in a silly red sheet" he then flies towards Corben in a red-blue-blur. Corben smirks as he manages to grab The Man of Steel, despite his speed and throws him into the ground; creating a crater where the man in the red cape was thrown. Corben then grabs Superman, lifting him up with the biggest grin on his face. The members of the public, men, women and children all run from the scene.

"Oh what's wrong? Has some meteor rock got you down? Good" Corben punches Superman in the face repeatedly, over and over "Makes it even easier to kill you" he winds up for another punch. Superman concentrates with his eyes as red beams of heat shoot right at the other man's face; burning it bright red. Superman then ascends slightly in the air and delivers an uppercut to Corben, knocking him into the air. The hero was fast enough to fly towards Corben and bring his fists together, slamming them down on the man's head.

"I said not here. Not with innocents around!" Superman reminds Corben who was propelled all the way onto the ground. Now missing the left side of his face, Corben was shown to have a metal skull with a green glowing eye that glares up at Superman. The Man of Steel's cape slowly sways in the wind as he stares back down to the damaged cyborg. Corben shows a devilish grin as he holds his palm towards Superman. His green eyes flashed brightly.

"Why not? That's is when you have to hold yourself back!" Corben's palm shoots out a green laser right at Superman. The Man of Steel moves out of the way of the blast, which caused the beam of energy to instead hit the building behind him. The laser cuts through the building, causing it slowly collapse in on itself. Superman's eyes widen as he hears screaming coming from the building, cries and whimpers. Even one death rattle from what sounded like a woman "It's your choice. Go after me or let those people die!" John grins, already knowing what choice Superman would make.

The man in the red cape flies towards the falling building and concentrates. Red beams of heat shoot out of his eyes and across the building; melting the parts back into place, after a few seconds he then slowly backs away and unleashes a stream of ice-cold breath to cool down the melted plates that now joined the buildings together. He then flies into the building towards the voices that he picked up before "Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?" he asks a group of people that were frantically holding onto each other.

Once he was sure that nobody was hurt, he flew back out of the building and saw that the man that had caused the incident was gone, vanished without a trace. His blue eyes look back to the warehouse from earlier, lifting one arm upward; he flies towards the building once more and enters through the hole that he made from his previous entry. He lands on his knees, he looks around the whole place and as expected both Lex and that Bat vigilante was nowhere in sight "Oh great Caesar's ghost" he whispers.

* * *

**Chapter End**


	12. Burn

**Burn**

* * *

**3: 26 AM**

"Are you saying that the man was made out of metal?" Lucius asks.

Bruce, dressed in a white vest held an icepack to his knuckles "I don't know what he was. All I know is that I couldn't even hurt him. And yes, he sure as hell felt like he was made of some kind of metal. My thermography scanner barely picked up any signs of heat from him, except for his chest. If he is made of metal as I think, that heat must have been coming from his power source. Which means I now know how to beat him" Bruce's knuckles were bright red and looked to be misshaped like they were slightly broken.

"My thoughts exactly, Mr Wayne. If he requires the used of a power generator, then I for one believe that he must have some sort of machinery inside of him, far more than I have ever encountered before, but given enough time, I could, in theory, make a kind of EMP blast to disrupt the flow of energy and thus rendering this John Corben out of commission long enough for you to properly restrain him from any further action" Lucius tells Bruce.

"Cyborgs? Huh, and here I was thinking that Gotham was weird" Bruce sets the icepack down to the table next to Lucius "Lex knows that someone is trying to hack into his systems. Since he knows that Bruce Wayne is in the city at the same time as his first encounter with The Batman...I won't be too shocked if he manages to piece together that Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same people. Here I was just trying to stop some run-of-the-mill illegal dealings, only to get my hand crushed and to be almost strangulated to death by a cyborg. What scares me the most is how normal that sounds when it comes to my life"

"Indeed...indeed, Mr Wayne. What do you suggest we do now? If Lex is onto us...any further breach of his network could send him our location" Lucius warns Bruce who gave a roll of eyes. Bruce looks across the table where his Batsuit was scattered.

"You're right, it's too risky. I say we change course. Start working on that EMP device...I am going to pay Luthor another visit...see if I can get him to tell me what the signal is meant for" Bruce steps over to the pieces of the Batsuit, the gloves, the boots, all of it was in a pile placed on the table "Bruce already had his chance to get Lex to talk, it is time for a more...direct approach. Let me know when work on the device is complete" Bruce taps his earpiece.

"Alfred. Tell me everything about John Corben, any possible motives he might have working for Lex Luthor, where he lives, his work. There must be something that I can use to track him down"

"_Let's see...hold on a moment, sir. Ah yes...as previously said, John Corben has pronounced dead almost a year ago, there was no body ever found. Oh...he spent most of his career as a field reporter. He returned to Metropolis around two years ago and lived with his sister_"

"I see. Give me her address...she may be able to give me some useful information"

"_About that, Master Bruce. She was killed not too long after her brother returned home. She was killed in a botched robbery...from these reports, her killer was: Frank Delanco, he was serving time but during his prison transfer...the bus crashed and the prisoners were saved by Superman, though Frank Delanco managed to escape when Superman was tending to the other prisoners_"

"That's it. He blames Superman for her death, that's why he chose to work for Lex. Lex said something about standing up to the gods of the world. Lex must have seen the distress that Corben was in and used it to manipulate him into working for him, though that still does not explain why he is part machine. I need to look into this more...I need more information before I can plan out my next move" Bruce tells Alfred as he looks down to his cowl.

"_Tragedy can drive a person to make drastic decisions_"

"Even with his grief...he still made the choice to work for Lex. He is responsible for his actions and he will pay for his crimes"

"And where are going now, Master Bruce? What should we do now?"

"I'm heading for LeX corp to pay Lex a visit. Since Corben is publicly known as being deceased...Lex wouldn't take the chance of having him in the building which means Lex will have no means to stop me, he may have a few guards, but when has that ever stopped me? I'll make him talk, I'll show him that it's not gods that he should be afraid of...I will make him fear me...a fellow man. In the meantime use the face recognition software to track down Corben and keep me posted on his location" Bruce tells Alfred.

"_Of course, sir. Oh..."_

"Alfred?"

"_I got something from the Bank of the south district, on Siegel Street"_

"I'll look into it, but Lex is the main priority"

"Understandable, Master Bruce. But...this one may warrant your full attention" Alfred counters.

_"What?"_

"It seems that you and Lucius aren't the only Gothamites currently in Metropolis. Miss Kyle is the perpetrator...or should I say...The Catwoman. It seems you were right to add her to the facial recognition software that you had Lucius build"

"_Catwoman...in Metropolis? And she is hitting a Bank? That doesn't match her MO, unless she is working for someone, that would mean that she could be in more trouble than she realizes_" Batman walks over to one of the monitors and types on the keyboard "_Whoever hired Catwoman went a long way to do so, she is the only person that could break into the building completely undetected, so whoever has hired her didn't do so to have her steal the money, she must be after something smaller, small enough to let her make an escape without risk of being noticed.._"

"Sir?"

"From these records...the Bank has an assortment of safety deposit boxes that are used by the wealthy of the city. They need specialized keys to open, with only two copies, one for the user of the box and one for the bank itself...the lock can't be lockpicked, as the keyhole is made to only fit the keys. If the wrong key is entered; the alarm would trip...so whoever hired her wouldn't take that risk...unless the person who hired her owned the Bank or had a heavy influence inside it..." Batman's eyes focus on the screen in front of him as a number of files pop-up "Investor data shows that Lex Luthor has a controlling interest in the bank, roughly 23%, but nearly all the others with shares work for him; he basically owns the bank and would have the most influence, plus he would have the means to know what is inside those safe deposit boxes..."

"_So that begs the question...just what is miss Kyle trying to steal?"_

"I'll be sure to ask her in person...I'm heading to the South District first...then I am dealing with Lex"

Suiting up, Bruce clips his utility belt in place and pulls his cowl over his head. Tightening his gloves, the fins eject outward. Batman's eyes narrow as he attaches his grapple gun to the side of his belt. His cape falls downward, just a few inches from the floor. The suit was different from the one still in the Batcave, instead of the full-black armour, this one was a dark grey with the cowl, gloves, boots and cape being jet black. It was nowhere as protective as his other, but it could still take a beating "Superman may keep the innocents in hope..." he presses the neckpiece of his cowl "...But Batman is needed to bring the criminals to fear" Batman looks over to Lucius "Keep me up to date, Lucius"

"Before you leave, sir. I believe you would be interested in this. Though I couldn't arrange for the Batmobile to be shipped here...I managed to get the next best thing. The first vehicle that we built...of course at this stage it is still a prototype" Lucius informs Batman.

"You don't mean?"

"Yes sir, The Batcycle is primed for use. It has enough power to easily go over three hundred miles per hours in a simple press, armoured plates to be protected from any fires arms that would be shot at it, and it is built to work with your suit, so you don't have to worry about it being stolen. Even with Metropolis' more lively populous...even they need to sleep at 3 in the morning...you sure that you aren't tired sir? You have been up for almost thirty hours"

"I'm fine, Lucius. Now that I know what I am up against...this will be easy"

**[3: 37 PM]**

Batman, now riding a black armoured motorcycle drives through the now empty streets of Metropolis. The Batcycle, just like the Batmobile was heavily armoured and almost impossible to be broken. The wheels were covered in their own special kind of armour plating. Their performance would not be affected, but anything that tried to flatten them would be stopped or simply have no effect on them, as well it made its wheels do not leave a single mark on the road, as if they were never there, to begin with. The cycle on its own could go up to speeds of three hundred miles per hour with ease. Batman's cape was going crazy, as it blows in the force created at the speed that he was travelling.

* * *

"Hurry along! We don't have much time!" Firefly scorns Catwoman.

Catwoman manoeuvres her way through a room of red lasers that cover the room towards the vault. Sliding under one red beam, she rolls on her back with her nose just barely avoid contact with another one "Cooldown, you can't rush purr-fiction" she smiles as she cartwheels over two of the lasers that were horizontal with the floor "I can't risk being caught, remember?" she adds jumps over another set of beams. Her eyes look at the vault that was not too far away, just a couple of more lasers to get through.  
"Just get it done!"

Catwoman slides under another laser while she holds her arms close to her body to not touch the vertical lasers on her sides "What do you think that I'm doing? Just give a few more seconds...it won't kill you" she breaths in as she scoots across two lasers that were close together, she then steps over the last one that blocked her from the Vault. She rakes her claws and reaches for the dial. Holding her ears close to it she gives a light smile "Alright, what was the combination again...oh yeah. Let's see...25 left...seven right...12 right...14 left and 3 to the right" she hears a loud click from the vault door "Alright...time for the next one..." she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small key and twists in the lock of the door.

"So much security...well not for me...but hey I can see why this bank hasn't had any break-ins for the last twenty-three years. The folks in Gotham ought to learn something from these guys" Catwoman thinks to herself as she spins opens the Vault door and pushes it open as the leads into a much smaller room that was full of safe boxes, rows upon rows that were as high as the ceiling. She saw another door at the end of the room which she guessed would lead to the gold and bags of money, that's what the movies taught her anyway.

She watches her every step to not trip any wires or step through any of those lasers. She was told that the cameras wouldn't be an issue as someone else was supposed to be dealing with them, apparently whoever planned this also has one of the guards on the payroll too. It was nice for her to know that she didn't have to do all the work her, but she was slightly disappointed that she couldn't do it all by herself, she would have found it to be a fun challenge for herself.

From across the rooftops, Batman glanced as he looks to the Bank. His eyes focus on Firefly who was standing guard on the roof of the bank. Batman was grateful that the night was still weighing heavily over the city which helped him blend into the darkness. Kneeling one edge of the roof, he plants one fist on the ground of the roof. Pressing the button on his cowl. His vision was changed to search for heat signatures and with that, he saw Firefly and a figure in the bank who he could tell was Catwoman.

His vision also picks up several other guards on the lower floors with one in what appeared to be the security office who showed no sign that he was worried about Catwoman being caught on the camera "**The Guard must be in on this operation. I'll be sure to get him to tell me all about this job**" The Dark Knight's eyes narrow "**Alfred, I have eyes on the Bank, but you are never going to believe who I am looking at right now. Brigit Pike aka Firefly, she hasn't been seen since she and Freeze were at war in Gotham. She was always believed to have got out of Gotham during reunification, looks like we now know who has been causing all those fires in this city**"

_"Miss Kyle has a strange interpretation of a ladies night"_

"**A night that is going to be short-lived. Whatever Catwoman is paid to steal...it has to be bad news...change of plan. I'm going to keep an eye on them and follow them to wherever their base is. That way I can retrieve the item and make sure that Luthor never gets his hands on it. Putting it back into the bank will only be asking for Lex to pull another stunt like this. As well they will lead me right to their base of operations. I need to put a tracker on Firefly...I need to be silent and not draw her attention**" Batman looks over to Firefly who had her back turned to him across buildings. He draws his grapple gun and aims it at the building next to the Bank. Launching the line outward, Batman is propelled towards the building.

"Are you almost finished in there?" Firefly speaks through her communicator as she looks through the skylight. Batman creeps up behind her and gently plants a tracker on her shoulder. Firefly quickly turns as she feels the contact. Her eyes look all around the roof, but there was no one there "What was that?" she thinks to herself as she turns back to the skylight.

From inside the Bank. Catwoman makes her way to the last row of the safe deposit boxes. Her green eyes look at as many as they could until she finds the one that she was sent here for "34H, and bingo" she comments as she pulls out another key and turns in the lock; opening the safe. Pulling open the safe door. She was greeted with what looked like a wooden box. Her mind wandered to when she was explicitly told not to open the box, that she was not meant to look at what was inside.

"They really should have known better to ramp up a cat's curiosity" she opens up the box as her eyes were suddenly full of great disappointment "Wait just a moment...I went through all of this for a dumb rock?" Catwoman rolls her eyes as and glances back down to the rock that appeared to be glowing bright red "It is still a pretty rock though...is it some kind of ruby?" she thinks to herself as she closes the box and puts it into her backpack "Oh well,...three million bucks here I come"

Firefly watches Catwoman crawl out of the skyline and onto the roof. Catwoman brushes her claws against her sides as she smirks "Done. Easiest three mill that I have ever earned - well it's the only three mill that I have earned, but you get the point" she tells Firefly who glared back to her. Catwoman's eyes focus on something in the distance across the rooftops. Slightly tilting her head; Batman from a distance was reflected in the lenses of her orange goggles. Batman quickly caught on from across the skyline and runs out of view, his cape follows behind with a whoosh.

"What's wrong now?" Firefly asks annoyed.

"Nothing, it looks like the sun is coming up soon...we better head back. We both get our money and our boss gets his...whatever" Catwoman begins to walk away. Firefly holds out her arms to stop her.  
"Not yet, remember we still have one more thing to do" Firefly snarls as she reaches into her own backpack and pulls out a device "We need to burn this place down" she adds as she sets the timer and drops it through the skyline and into the Bank.

"A bomb? You said a fire...not a bomb!" Catwoman hisses.

"It's not a bomb, princess. It's a small methane tank that is designed to heat up, once it does...it will go boom and spread a large fire across the whole building" Firefly grins as she sees the timer had started counting down from under ten seconds.

"That's a bomb! What about the people inside? You can't seriously be willing to kill them...?"

"We both know that I am" Firefly replies as she hurries her away from the building "Speed it up unless you want to burn to a crisp". Catwoman looks back over across the buildings to the silhouette. She gives a firm nod towards the direction as she then follows after Firefly, they both jump across the small gap to the next building across.

Batman's eyes track the movement of the women; knowing that Catwoman must have seen him  
The Dark Knight's eyes widen as the Bank was sent up in flames in less than a few seconds as the building was suddenly shaken by the powerful blast "**Lucius, is this suit is fire resistant?**" he reaches for his grapple gun and shoots it out to the now burning Bank as he is sent towards it.

_"Uh...not quite Mr Wayne. It should give some protection, but not enough to last more than a few minutes"_

"**Good. I only need a few minutes**" Batman crashes through one of the windows into the Bank. He lands in the same room that Catwoman was previously in. Fire swept across the room along with that cane large bursts of smoke. Batman pressed his cowl and his vision was changed to thermal vision. He tried to look for the guards, but the flames were messing with his sight, making it impossible to track down the guards "**Thermal is useless...I need to work on something else soon**"

Batman runs through the blazing flames as he feels his feet and legs start to burn through the suit by the flames. His cape was beginning to be burned by the unwavering flames. He follows the sounds of the screams which were not too far away, more like in the next room across. Batman barges into the room as sees one of the guards. The man was in a fit of coughs as he used his arms to shield himself from the fire. Batman quickly grabs the man by the collar and runs out of the window of the floor with him.

Batman pulls out his grapple gun and fires it across to the next building away. Both he and the Guard were thrown towards the roof of the building. The Dark Knight drops the man on the roof as he stands over him "**You're safe. How many of you are still left in the Bank?**"

"You're-you're-you're The Batman? Wh-what the hell are you doing here?" the guard asks as he hits at his chest "I thought you were a myth..."

"**Focus! How many of you are left?**"

"Four...there are four more, three of them should be patrolling the place but there is one in the security room"

**"Is there a fire suppression system that can be used?"**

"Yeah! But it should have already gone off by now...it must have malfunctioned or something..." the guard looks up to The Dark Knight.

"**That or it has been sabotaged. Stay here for now...I'm going back to manually activate the fire suppresser**" Batman runs off of the roof and glides back into the Bank that was covered in flames. The smoke has become denser and was almost impossible to see through. Batman coughs heavily "**Lucius, the Bank is in flames...the fire suppression system has been tampered with...and there of multiple people still stuck in here...is there a way to activate the system manually?**"

_"I'll look! Got it, the system was only tampered with when it comes to its smoke sensor. It is already prepared to combat the fire, but something must be stopping it from sensing the smoke. There is a switch in the security room"_ Lucius tells Bruce.

"**Thanks, Lucius**" Batman runs through the flames that were searing high. Jumping across a large assortment of spiralling, Batman looks to his side as he sees another one of the Guards that was trapped beneath a pile of debris, he screams for help as the flames surround him as the slightly burn him. The Dark Knight's eyes widen as he hurries to the man and begins to lift the fallen debris "**Hold on**" he comforts the wounded man. Batman winces as he has trouble lifting the rubble off of the man.

Seeing that the man's arm was now covered in fire, Batman gave one last pull as he lifts the debris off of the guard "**You are going to be alright...can you...**" Batman stops in mid-sentence as he sees the man's legs were broken, twisted and bloodied. Batman could see the bone of the guard's leg punctured through his skin. Using his cape he gets rid of the flames on the man's arm. The guard was petrified by the sight of his own mangled legs, he panics and screams.

"**Stay with me, I need to turn on the fire suppresser, if I don't... your co-workers could die. I'll be back for you"** the guard gives a weak nod, showing that he understood and agreed with The Dark Knight's plan. Batman dashes off once more and kicks the door to the next room off its hinges. His eyes peak up the second floor's small balcony with the security office. He brings out his grappling gun and shoots it at the balcony. Batman is launched forward and climbs over the railings onto the second floor.

He jumps through the window to the room; shattering it and walking towards the console. The Guard quickly backs away from The Dark Knight in fear "**You and I need to have a word later...**" Batman throws him onto the grounds still untouched by the rapidly approaching flames. Batman's eyes look to a glass-covered large button. He rams his fist through the glass and onto the large red button. The sprinklers of the Bank begins to let loose and drown the flames until they were fizzled out and the last of the smoke slowly dissipated.

Taking a long overdue deep breather, Batman looks over his shoulders and sees the guard trying to crawl away backwards. Batman moves forward and presses his boot to the man's throat "**I know you work for Luthor! You let a maniac set a bomb off in this building! You and your co-workers could have died! What made you such a lowlife to do something like that!**" Batman growls as he sees the fear in the man's eyes.

The guard was an easy-going blonde man with green eyes "He promised me that he would pay off my family mortgage! I can't let my little girl and wife live on the streets. If I did this...they wouldn't have to pay for my bad decisions!" the man squirms under Batman.

"**You are right about that. They are better off without a piece of scum like you in their lives**" Batman slams his boot down and knocks the man out. The Dark Knight jumps out of the window to the room and lands back on the floor below. He returns to the heavily wounded man, his eyes widen as he slowly makes his way to the man's side. He had stopped breathing, and the amount of the blood on the floor was more than the human body could afford to lose.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Batman looks away from the deceased man "**Damn it. I couldn't save him...**" kneeling down Batman uses his fingers to close the man's eyes "**There should still be two more men here. I better check on them...**" Batman stands up and walks off from the guards" Batman presses a button on his cowl; causing his thermal vision to once again to take over his sight. He sees two of the guards standing next to each other near the exit. through the wall. They seemed to be alright.

_"Mr Wayne, it looks like you saved the day. Those men owe you their lives_" Lucius congratulated Batman.

"**Not all of them, one of them is dead. The debris was the only thing blocking the bleeding...by removing it...I only quickened his end. It's all my fault. I should have used one of my Batarangs and the flames to cauterize his wounds before moving on**"

_"This isn't your fault, Bruce. You didn't set the bomb off"_

"**No, but I could have prevented it altogether if I just took out Firefly back there. That man's death is on me before Firefly and Catwoman**"

_"The police and emergency workers should be there any minute. And I don't think they will be as big of a fan of you like the GCPD are. You better move out, Bruce"_

"**Not yet. The fire was meant to destroy the evidence...so I'm going to see just what they were trying to hide, and the best thing to figure out is what was stolen. Knowing that could give me enough information to figure out what Lex is planning**" Batman's eyes focus on the vault door that was slightly opened "**Catwoman didn't see me until she left here, that means there is a high chance that she was more reckless here and left her tracks in the open**"

_"How do you figure that, Mr Wayne?"_ Lucius inquires.

"**The safe deposit box needs a specialized key to be opened, for each safe is a pair of unique keys made just for it. That means she couldn't have opened any other boxes besides the one she was paid to take**" Batman pulls open the vault door and walks into the room "**She is smart. She wouldn't have made the armature mistake of leaving the safe opened. She would have closed it to be absolutely sure that no one would catch onto to the theft. And since Roger is dead...he wouldn't report it missing**" Batman wanders through the countless rows of safes "**There must be some way to tell which box was the one that she went to**" Batman tells Lucius.

_"Like what, Mr Wayne?"_

"**Catwoman would have been the only to use the safes in the last few hours. Even though the safes needs a key to be opened, the handle still needs to be pulled to open it. She is too smart to leave fingerprints, but I can use my Blacklight scanner to find a handprint of her glove on one of these safes that match the size of her palm. She had her gloves on which have claws...so it shouldn't be too hard to locate the safe. The material of the glove will leave a unique pattern due to the line work**" Batman pulls out a small torch from his utility belt and shines it over the locks to the safes. The blacklight caught various amounts of handprints, but nothing that would belong to Catwoman. Batman shines the touch across several rows until he stumbles upon one that stood out.

"34H?" Batman thought to himself as the Blacklight reveals a handprint completely different from the others. The print fits the match for a woman's hand and the fingers got slimmer and slimmer until they were scratch marks. Batman's eyes look to the lock as it was only a quarter-way turned compared to most of the others "**Alfred. The 34H vault of the Metropolis Bank in the south district, can you find what was in it?**" Batman asks the man in all the way over in Gotham.

_"Alright Master B, I'll give it a shot. One moment please..."_

_"Nothing too major on what was inside the vault, but the records show that the vault was in use by a Roger Anderson. He was a known collector that specialized in the same type of meteor rocks that Lucius retrieved last month, though from his own written letters...he said that he had a red variation of the usual green rock. He was hoping to sell it off for quite the pocket change, but it was not mean to be_" Alfred informs Batman who raised an eyebrow to Alfred's words.

"**Was?**"

"_Roger Anderson is dead sir. He was killed in a hit and run a few weeks ago. The meteor rocks that he was trying to sell was way too radioactive even more so than a green variant. It was far too dangerous for anyone in their right mind to buy. Protective casing apparently had little to no effect to damper the radiation. My best bet is that Roger kept the rock in the vault until he could secure a buyer_"

"**Lex went through all this trouble just for a meteor rock? There must be more too this. Lex could have had Catwoman steal way more...than just the rock, this has nothing to do with monetary gain. All this work? All the trouble that is has stirred. This is personal, Lex wants revenge, but on who? The Vault owner is already dead and Lex has his money filling the pockets of nearly everyone in power in this city...except one single person"**

**"One single man..."**

"**Superman**" Batman then looks to the closed safe "**The Bank wouldn't have allowed for such a dangerous object to hold in the safe unless Luthor was planning to steal it the whole time and made it so that the meteor rock would be stored here. Alfred, was the person behind the hit and run ever caught?**"

"_No arrests were ever made and the case was mysteriously closed. The MPD claimed that they found a high concentration of alcohol in his system and that he must have drunkenly stumbled into the road. There have been no eye-witnesses to dispute their claim, but Roger Anderson had no history of being an alcoholic, in fact, he was said to have never touched a single drop of alcohol for years. Very curious, sir_" Alfred observes.

Batman's eyes narrow "**Curious? How about premeditated cold-blooded murder. Lex had Roger store the meteor rock in the safe, Lex then had him killed so he wouldn't try to take it back, he probably bribed someone high ranking in the MPD to intervein with the investigation - to tamper with the evidence. Lex then hired Catwoman - a notorious cat bugler to the criminal underworld, the best in the business to steal the meteor rock, he even paid a guard to turn a blind eye to the theft. Lex would then have Firefly burn down the building to destroy all evidence, including any loose lends - Catwoman could be in danger**" Batman tells Alfred through the communicator.

_"Is that is true, then what about the other fires that have occurred in Metropolis the last few weeks? What would Lex want to steal from those buildings?"_

"**Let's see. There have been ten large scale fires in the last two weeks, tonight would be the eleventh. The Targets have been two blocks of apartments, The Metropolis Bank, a library. One of LeX corps warehouses, the museum, a gymnasium and several other small landmarks. They have nothing in common. Lex must have even had one of his Wearhouse burned to keep suspicion off of him. Most of those places had nothing valuable to steal - so they must have been done to make this one less suspicious. Several fires are bound to divert police resources far more than a single one. The MPD would have just ruled tonight just another in the string of fires. They wouldn't even look twice at this one"**

_"They were all decoys. Lex is certainly a forward thinker"_

"**Maybe, but I'm still several steps ahead of him. The tracker than I placed on Firefly should lead me right to their base of operations, no doubt Lex would want to pick up the meteor rock himself. If I hurry, I could find Lex, Firefly and John Corbin all at once. I still don't know what the meteor rock is for, a power source maybe? Whatever it is going to be used for...Lex won't have good intentions in mind - It's time that I end this**" Batman turns around and walks out of the vault room, hearing sirens quickly approaching he walks over to one of the broken windows, pulling out his grapple gun he shoots it at the building across from him.

Batman turns his head to look at the deceased guard for a moment before he was launched forward and out of the building. The Dark Knight lands on the roof of the building and walks over to the edge "Good work in there...your deductions were on point. I was tempted to grab a bag of popcorn while I listened to you figure it all out" a voice calls out from above. Batman lifts his head as he looks up in the sky. Superman descends onto the ground and folds his arms "Also good work with stopping the fire - you did that before I caught wind of it. You know I always figured you for a creep who just brutalizes the bad guys, but it seems that you do have a heart too. You saved those men's lives - you have my gratitude"

"**Super hearing? Don't you know that eavesdropping is rude? How much did you hear?**" Batman asks in an annoyed tone.

"More than you would like, Mr Wayne. I knew millionaires were supposed to have exciting hobbies, but I never figured one would dress up like a bat and scare the crap out of criminals" Superman smiles, placing his hands on his hips.

"**It's billionaire, and it's more exciting than working at the Daily Planet...Mr Kent. Smart move by hiding in plain sight by the way. People often struggle to see just what is right under their noses, and you shouldn't be critiquing other people for their fashion sense**" Batman retorts.

"W-What? How could you possibly know?" Superman tilts his head.

"**Smallville is ground zero for the meteor shower all those years ago which brought those green rocks to our-my planet. I looked into it a little more and saw that there was a school newspaper that chronicled a number of miraculous saves, and your name came up in every single article. Seeing that you were adopted right after the Meteor shower and there is no record of your birth parents on this planet...well it was a lot easier than you think**"

"Okay-okay, time out! Since I know who you are behind the mask and that we are alone here - can you please turn off that voice-changer-thingy that you have? It's really hard to understand you in prolonged sentences. I can't tell if you are trying to sound smart or threatening. come on help a Super...Man out. I don't want to fight you and you certainly do not want to fight me. We should work together on this one" Superman asks Batman.

"**I work alone**" Batman snaps back.

"Yeah sure...except for your butler and your tech guy. We don't have to like each other, but you and I both know that there could be a lot of lives at risk here. You said that Lex has some-sort of red Kryptonite, right? I have only encountered the green kind. This is just as new to me as it is to you, also your voice changer? Are you seriously keeping that thing on? Whatever...anyway. This task could use both of us on it, once it is done...we can part ways and never see each other again" Superman tries to reason with The Dark Knight.

"**How about I meet you half way and just part ways now. I will go stop Luthor and you can go back to saving cats that are stuck up trees**"

"For your information...I have already done that today. In all seriousness, we need to work together. Normal Kryptonite severely weakens me...that's what is powering Metallo. I can't get close to him for too long without being rendered powerless...I can't imagine what this red kryptonite could do to me"

"**And you are telling me your one weakness...because...?**"

"As a sign of trust. You try it. What is your greatest weakness...?"

"**Anything that isn't bat-shaped**"

* * *

**Chapter End**


	13. The World's Finest

**The World's Finest**

* * *

**5: 56 AM**

"I am running out of patience my friend" Lex walks forwards as his eyes land on the back of another man "Our little arrangement was only devised to benefit you the most. You had all the money, all the time, and all the resources that you ever ask for. So tell me why the device is not finished when I said that today was going to be the last of time that I am going to wait for you to finish the job that I paid you to do, Winslow" the bold man raises an eyebrow as he glares daggers towards the man who had his back turned to him.

The other man was stood next to a workbench as he wore protective gear over his eyes and was using a blowtorch to heat up some kind of green object that was in front of him placed on the bench. His hands were shielded by thick black gloves. The torch was causing the green Kryptonite to slightly dark due to the rapid pressure of heat that was hitting it "Toyman says that it is not done. The game still needs more players to be playable. Toyman says that I need to test the meteor rock before I can confirm its effectiveness" Toyman replies to Lex over the loud noise coming from the blowtorch and the helmet that weighted his voice.

"We don't have that amount of time left. Our partners will be very disappointed with us if we do not make good on our end of the baron. If we end up failing to complete the task at hand, our very powerful friends will become our very powerful enemies" Lex replies as he holds his arms to his sides and squeezes his gloved hand "Our little helpers should be here any moment with the final ingredient. You know at first I thought I was alone in this world, that my fear of beings far greater than us was irrational, that we shouldn't just put all our trust in a man from the stars, but I have met those of which also share my care for the future of the human race. They too wish for the gods to leave us be and to let us make our own destiny"

"Mr Luthor, they're here!" John Corben calls to his boss.

Lex turns his head as sees John walking towards him with the two women following behind "I trust that your little venture went off without a hitch? That is why I went all out with the expenses after all" he addresses the two women stood made their way over to him.

"Not quite" John answers with a bandaged rolled over his head that cover's his right eye, but a faint green glow could still be seen "They managed to secure the package, but the fire that was supposed to destroy all the evidence was put out before it could do the job" the unshaven man explains.

"Superman?" Lex inquires.

"No, it was Batman" John rests his hands on his hips "I don't know how he knew where we were going to hit, but he was ready for us. He was seen entering the building mere moments after Firefly set off the bomb. I got to be honest, boss. I doubt that it was a coincidence"

"That's because it wasn't. Batman isn't some boy scout like Superman. He is a relentless individual - he doesn't do coincidences or happy accidents. He was there because something or someone tipped him off" Lex turns his head to Catwoman as he holds out both of his hands "The package, please" he asks.

Catwoman bends her arm over her back and reaches into her rucksack "Good. I can get my money and get out of this city. It's way too clean for my tastes" she pulls out the wooden box and holds it in her hands, her fingers were tightly clinging to it "First the money and then you get your dumb trinket, capeesh?" she gives a flutter of her eyelashes towards Lex.

"Don't worry my dear...you will get everything that you deserve, I promise you" Lex snaps his fingers "Mr Corben would you be a help and give the lady what she has ever so rightfully earned" John gives a slight nod as he quickly grabs Catwoman by the neck and lifts her off of the ground. She drops the box and John catches it with his free hand with lightning-fast reflexes. Catwoman struggled against the man's hold, but no matter how much she claws, mauls or kicks him, he seems to feel no pain from it. Though her claws did take a chunk out of his arm, tearing the skin right off, but instead a bloodied wound; the man's arms appeared to be biomechanical with green-glowing veins.

John hands the box over to Lex who took hold of it "Thank you, Mr Corben" Lex opens the box and his face is illuminated in bright red flashes "Red Kryptonite, who would have thought that I would be holding the ground of which gods once walked on, yet we humans remain while the once omniscient race did not even know how to stop their own demise. It makes you wonder just what makes a being be classified as a god. Power? Intelligence? Wisdom? Compassion? Or just one's unchecked pride? Or maybe it's all of them...or maybe it's none - It may be a quality that us mere mortals are not capable of understanding or something that we know not to tamper with...that is the beauty of us, humans...we know our limits, we don't go around changing the destinies of those around us..."

"Can we kill her now? I have been waiting for this for a long time!" Firefly growls.

"Yeah...I'm with her. I would rather be killed than listen to you say another word. Usually growing up as bold damages your confidence, so why the hell are you so talkative?" Catwoman spits out.

"Alexander The Great once said that *I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion* in the world of business and politics...there is no greater weapon than one's own words, in my field of work...the need to use such deadly force is not something that I need to do often, but that does not mean that I am completely against it. I find it strange that Batman happened to show up in Metropolis the same time that I hired you for the job" Lex closes the wooden box as he looks to Catwoman.

"Okay, I know how you got to that conclusion, but I had nothing to do with him showing up. He was already planning on coming here" Catwoman gasps as Corben tightens his hold around her throat "Oh shit" she thought to herself as she feared that she had given away too much to Lex, she could tell that Lex was way too close to figuring out the identity of Batman. She bites her lips and looks down to Lex "Alright! You figured me out! I told the Bat about the job and have been feeding him information about you...that's how he got to the Bank before the fire could finish the job!" she lies through her teeth.

"You owe me one" Catwoman thinks to herself, just wondering why she is even bothering to protect him anymore, was it because of the pesky love that she still held for him? She keeps telling herself that she feels nothing for him anymore, but her words couldn't be any less true. She knew that Bruce would never return her feelings anymore, he sought all of his time to be used to protect the streets of Gotham and even Metropolis now apparently, but she knew that if he was in her situation, he would do the same for her without any hesitation.

"See! We should just kill the traitor right now. I can burn her real good, make her suffer" Firefly addresses Lex.

"What do you say, John?" Lex asks.

"I say we-" John was hurled backwards as a red-blue-blur rams into him. Catwoman rolls onto the ground and quickly kicks Brigit's legs; knocking her over.

Superman descends onto the floor as he smiles "Sorry to barge in unannounced, but that is no way to treat a lady" he flicks the curl of hair back as he lifts his head "Even one that is a thief" Superman looks onward as he sees John Corben emerge from the rubble and debris with his shirt damaged. John begins his hand to the shoulder of his shirt and rips it off; leaving his torso bare as a green light flashes from underneath his skin. Superman's tense up as he begins to feel a faint pain around his body.

John pulls off the bandage from over his face to reveal a clockwork of moving parts with a shinning green eye that was locked straight onto Superman "Bad move coming here, boy scout. You are going to pay for what you have done to me!"

"I didn't kill your sister, John" The Man of Steel tries to reason with the distressed man.

"But you sure as hell didn't save her! She wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for you!" John lifts both of his palms up and fires a pair of dual green energy beams straight at Superman. The Man of Steel was struck by the blast and was sent flying backwards; crashing into one of the high-tech machinery.

"Hey! Toyman says that equipment was expensive!" Toyman outbursts as he drops the blowtorch and makes a break for it. Superman looks over to him and uses his heat-vision to melt Toyman's shoes to stick him in place "What the?" Toyman tries to lift his legs off of the ground, but the bottom of his shoes have become like tar stuck to pavement and even more stuck to his feet, making it impossible to remove the shoes. Superman cracks his neck.

"Relax, it's not like Luthor doesn't have enough money to buy a new one" the man in the red cape comments as he flies towards John and hits him at point blank range, but this time John was only slightly moved by the force of his punch. Corben punches Superman in the face then the stomach. Superman feels blood dripping from his mouth and onto the floor that he stood on. He uses his thumb to brush away the trail of blood running down his cheek "Okay...that was a good one, the Kryptonite must have already taken effect" he thinks to himself.

"You can't beat me on your own. Not after all I have become. I am David and you are Goliath" John smirks as he punches Superman across the room "My blood is your weakness, the more you hurt me is the faster you bring about your own demise. I have been anticipating this moment for so long...my blood is boiling" he sniggers.

"Try cooling off then" Superman takes a deep breath and unleashes a blizzard upon John; icing him over in small chunks and slowing him down. Superman rolls his right shoulder as he looks back to Catwoman who had knocked Firefly unconscious. John's eyes glow even brighter as the ice around him melts and floods the floor around him. The heat itself has burned away all of his remaining skin and just a mechanical skeleton remains with nightmarish emerald glowing eyes and green-glowing veins all over his metal endoskeleton.

Superman's eyes soften as he witnesses Metallo's form "You were so driven to kill me that you replaced your entire body...is there anything of the man you once was?"

"His body? No, but his rage? It's all still in me" Metallo steps forward and glares at Superman "John Corbin is dead, but his anguish lives on and will end today when I kill you and show the world just what you really are - a false god who brings a false hope! A man can't kill god, that is the one conclusion that every faith has agreed on. That the one above is all-powerful for a reason, more powerful than any mere man could hope to be. So I do not fight you as a man, but as a monster, a cold-hearted, soulless machine to make you suffer and choke on your last breath" the cyborg growls as his voice now has a metallic tone along with a faint echo.

"You really shouldn't have said that" Superman advised as he concentrates with his eyes as two red beams of light shoot out and hit Metallo, right at his chest - his power core. The cyborg was pushed back by the force of the rays, their heat began to higher the temperatures of his metal frame. Steam begins to trail off the scorch marks that are left behind the heat rays. Metallo's metal jaw fixes itself into a grin as he takes a step forward, and another one, and another one, and another one towards Superman. Each step he took made a clanging noise on the floor.

Catwoman looks over and sees Lex grabbing whatever he had that other guy working while he still held the wooden box. She flexes her claws and smirks "Try to kill me, will you? Don't think so" she whispers as she hurries her way towards Lex. She made a move to pounce which Lex swiftly denied and he brought a handgun out and started firing at her. Catwoman rolls out of the way out of the first few shots and used her whip and yank the gun out of his hand and grabs in herself "Sorry Alexander...looks like you aren't that great after all...poor you" she points the gun at his chest "Now about my money...I only accept cash...makes it harder to track... as you promised"

"You actually expected three million dollars in cash? How did you fall for that? Do you know how heavy that would be...more than someone of your posture could carry that is for sure" Lex comments. Catwoman's eyes look to the box that he was holding "Oh well...guess I'll just have to take that back then. I'm sure there will be someone out there who would be willing to match your price...maybe even exceed. I girl can dream, can't she?"

"You must be insane if you think I am handing this thing over to you. A petty thief like you can't be trusted with it" Lex replies as he glares her way.

"It's not up to debate. You didn't keep your end of the deal so I am sure as hell am not keeping mine. You straight up wanted to kill me after I did all your work for you. That is the last time that I work for anyone else, but myself. Give me the box or I will shoot you where you stand" Catwoman hisses as she presses the gun against Lex's chest.

"No, you won't. Your beloved Batman wouldn't approve, right? He does use violence to solve his problems, but he doesn't use guns or kill. You will not fire that gun because of your unrequited love for him. That was very elegant of you to protect him, even when you thought your life would soon come to an end. Oh...if he was only here to see that display of affection from you" Lex smirks as he sees Catwoman's eyes look away for a single moment.

"Screw him and screw you!" Catwoman hisses as she presses down on the trigger and fires point-blank into Lex's chest. The bald man 's eyes widen as he was thrown back by the force of the blast and drops the wooden box onto the floor. Lex holds his hands over his chest and wheezes. Selina's eyes widen as she looks at the gun in her hand still smoking from the bullet that she shot. Her eyes trembles as she drops the gun to the ground, clearly shaken up.

"**SELINA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!**" a familiar growl made itself known to her as it echoes through the room. A small device was thrown under Metallo's legs as it lets out a pulse of energy; causing the Cyborg to short-circuit and for his eyes and vanes to go from the bright green to black as he falls over. Superman then looks over to Catwoman as well Batman glides down to become equal level with the two "**You just shot an unarmed man! WHAT THE HELL WERE THINKING? That fire you helped killed an innocent man, Selina!**" Batman yells at Catwoman.

"Did she...?" Superman questions as he looks over to Lex who lies on the ground.

"**No...not by the lack of trying though**" Batman walks past Catwoman and kneels beside Lex. His eyes widened as he sees a crushed bullet placed deep in his shirt "**He's**** wearing a bulletproof vest, but the force of impact has knocked the wind out of him. There could be some internal bleeding that needs to be checked out...he needs a doctor**" Batman turns his head to Superman "**Take him there...I need to talk with Catwoman**" Superman nods as he walks over to Luthor and picks him up in his arms.

"I guess it's over now at least. Firefly, Metallo and Lex are all down and Toyman is..." Superman gives a quick glance to Toyman who was trying to rip off his shoe as he struggles against the ground "Batman...thanks for the assist. It is greatly apricated" he gives one final nod as he flies outward of the building with Lex in his arms, leaving both Batman and Catwoman alone, besides Toyman who was too busy with his own problems to bother them.

"Listen, I can..."

"**You tried to kill a man. How can you explain that?**"

"I didn't though! So what's your problem?" Catwoman rolls her eyes.

"**Doesn't matter. You pulled the trigger with the intent of killing him**" Batman replies as he glares at her "**What if he wasn't wearing that vest? You would have just taken another life, and you wouldn't have even felt remorse for it. What happened to you?**" Batman's eyes focus on her and do not make another movement.

"What!? Lex had it coming. No one would miss him if he died"

"**So that makes murder right then? The fact that he has done bad things justify you trying to take his life? You have just opened yourself to killing people, what gives you the right to decide who should live and die? You are better than that - better than him** " Batman replies heartbrokenly to Catwoman shrugs off his pleas to her.

"You don't know me, so stop acting like you do. I am not your little plaything that follows your orders or obeys your commands. I pulled that trigger because I wanted to, and you know that is true. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm NOT you" she leans forward until she was only a few inches from Batman's face and the roots of haunting glare that he gave her. She pucks her lips "I do not do things your way and never will. So stop trying to appeal to my better nature because it won't work! I am just a thief, nothing more, nothing less...when are you going to get that through your thick skull?"

"**Selina...you are a good person. Hiding behind your masquerade of coldness won't convince me that you aren't. But you have tried to murder a man, helped Firefly set fire to the Bank which caused a good man to die. The Selina I know wouldn't be so uncaring about that...**" Batman adds.

"Maybe, or maybe the fragile girl has finally come out of her shell. Maybe I was always meant to turn out like this...maybe if you were there for me when I needed you...I wouldn't have become this. You could have saved me, but you felt it was more important to fly away and go this crusade of yours. I loved you!" Catwoman's eyes narrow "I thought you loved me too, but you didn't even wait five minutes before hopping on to the next girl that caught your eye. Talia? She has done worse things than I ever could yet you give her a free pass? Why because she actually slept with you? I'm having a little trouble following that logic of yours"

"**We are not doing this**" Batman snaps at her.

"See! Even your tone of voice cares about Talia more than me. How could you do that to me? Leaving was one thing, but doing that. Sleeping with the leader of the League of Shadows? That is okay in your book, but finding time to visit me is asking too much? Am I joke to you? To you get your kicks out of making me miserable, breaking my heart...when are you going to decide that I have suffered enough? When will stop finding ways to hurt me!" Catwoman was screaming at him hoping that he would finally get her message.

"**You and I weren't together when Talia and I were together. Yes, I know how dangerous she is but I have seen the side of her that matters the most. She was just a kid like me thrown into the crosshairs of her Father to bring Gotham to its knees. We felt each other's pain, we helped each other become who we are today. Talia is no angel, but at least she cares about me enough to respect my code and not take a life when she sees fit. You...all this these past few days...you didn't do this for you...you did this to spite me, to hurt me. To get back at me because you aren't at the centre of my world anymore...**" Batman tells her.

"What are you even-"

"**I get it. Your mother left you and I lost my parents. We were connected on the pains of lost and sorrow...we helped each other become better...to rise from the tragedy. I did love you, Selina. I really did. I wanted us to be together, we both did, but this isn't about what we want. Everyone in Gotham has their roles...ours aren't on the same path...you needed me and I left you, I can never make up for that. Nothing I could do or say can erase your pain...or make you feel better. Talia and I are over...just like we are...**" Batman speaks to her and he places his palm over her cheek. His eyes see that the woman's own eyes were watering as he sees tears drip down her face.

Catwoman places her own hand over the man's own hand "I thought I could handle this...journey of yours. I see that you trying to do good...you have done good for people and for Gotham, but can't you see that you are destroying yourself? Your parents would never want that for you...they would want you to be happy...this crusade of your is only going to end in one way...you are going to end up dead...dying alone. You can't seriously want that?" she persists.

"**We don't always get what we want**" Batman moves his hand away from Catwoman's own "**Because if we did...we wouldn't be standing here right now. We might have never met in a perfect world. We would have our parents...we might have been happy. I have been dreading this moment...I knew that it would have to come sooner or later, I think we both knew that it was only a matter of time..**." Batman lowers his head.

Catwoman slowly shakes her head "Please don't say what I think you are going to say...I'm begging you...we can work this out together" she reaches towards him. Batman grabs her wrist and pulls it away from him "I...I love you...you mean more to me than anyone else ever has...please..."

"**You deserve better than me. Someone else who can be there for you where I can't**"

"There is no one else. You are the only one..." Selina whispers.

"**Goodbye, Selina. Take care"** Batman replies. Before Catwoman could even think of a response she sees Batman thrown forward as a green blast hits him from behind. He falls into her arms as she wraps them around him as smoke fades off of him. Catwoman's eyes tremble as she sees Metallo standing back on his feet, the green glow in his body had returned. His green eyes look over to her as he grins. Metallo walks over to the wooden box that was planted on the ground.

He lifts up the box and breaks into chunks as he squeezes it until only the red Kryptonite was in his hand "Green Kryptonite is the source of my power...this was meant for the plan...it's power...it's all I need..." the red meteor rock glows in his metallic hand "This is much more powerful variant of meteor rock...I will become...a god..." Metallo rams the Kryptonite through the centre of his chest and his core. His eyes widen as the red rock was absorbed into his body.

"What the..." Catwoman rests Batman on the ground and kneels next to him.

The veins of Metallo turn from green to bright red and his green eyes change to a crimson colour. He screams as the red kryptonite erupts from his body and breaks through his metal plating. Red glowing spikes burst from his body. His arms, his legs, his torso, even his head was overtaken by the onslaught of the crystals that puncture through his metallic body. Metallo's now red eyes flash, red electricity sparks all across the surface of his body.

"Oh that's not good" Toyman gulps, "Toyman says that his body wasn't made to contain Red Kryptonite, sooner or later he will overload and go boom. Toyman says to get the hell out of this city if you don't want to be caught in the blast" the man sweats heavily.

The new revamped Metallo lift his head as two red beams of heat shoots out of his eyes and incinerate the roof; creating a large hole to the outside world "Must kill...Superman...must kill...the last son of Krypton" his jaw joins together in a red-glowing smirk. Gripping his hands into fists he suddenly flies upward as super-sonic speed as he becomes a red blur; leaving the three by themselves. Batman's eyes wince as he tries to push himself up from the ground.

"**Lucius only had the time to make a single EMP. This has gotten worse to way worse" **Batmanlooks up at the hole in the roof that was left by Metallo** "And here I was thinking that it was going way too easy. Serves me right for wishful thinking**"

"Oh god...he only got the red rock because of me..." Catwoman's lips trembles as her eyes look to Batman "You were right. I have just been selfish this whole time. I'm sorry...this is all my fault" she sighs. Batman walks away from her and brings out his grapple gun.

"**Go home, Selina**" Batman aims upward out of the hole.

"I'm sorry...you need to let me-"

"**I said...go!**" Batman shoots the grapple gun and was launched out of the building as he begins to glide once he enters the outside world and is among the Metropolis skyline. Batman's shadow briefly passes over Catwoman before he leaves her field of view.

"This is a problem" Catwoman comments.

"You have the slightest clue" Toyman replies as he looks to her.

"Really? Why don't you just tell me all about it then?" Catwoman walks towards the stuck man as he gulps.

"Toyman says Metallo's core is to handle green kryptonite as a power source. The most common kind, you see the red kryptonite...that's not good for him. His core cannot handle such power for a long duration of time. Toyman says Metallo will overload, Toyman says that Metallo will explode - taking all of us with him! Toyman says to run for your life" Toyman squirms as he begins to try and remove his feet from the ground, kicking at it and pulling his foot up.

"Oh, shit..." Catwoman looks up to the skyline.

* * *

Superman was thrown onto the ground, rolling and stopping as he crashes into an oil tanker; causing for oil to be spilt all across the street. Superman spits blood and looks up to see Metallo "What the hell happened to you, John? you've changed..." the Man of Steel groans as he stands back onto his feet. He shoots out two beams of heat towards the Cyborg that was high above in the sky. Metallo's eyes narrow as he too shoots his own beams of heat at Superman as they both clash.

"I must kill you...kill you...kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllll. My only human memory left...is to...kill...you!" Metallo growls as his crimson eyes glow even bright as the intensity of his heat vision increased. Pushing Superman back and cutting across his face. Metallo's body was covered by quick shocks of red lightning all over "my...sister...must...avenger...her...I can't...think clearly..." Metallo shakes his head as he charges towards Superman and knocks him back onto the ground "Must...must...remember...her..." the cyborg punches The Man of Steel square in the jaw which blew one of his teeth out onto the ground.

"Oh my god...the red kryptonite...it's changed...made you more...primal...listen to me, John. Your sister wouldn't want this!" The last son tried to appeal to whatever humanity Metallo had left, which at the moment didn't seem like there was anything of him left. Metallo delivers another blow to Superman's face; bloodying it and bruising the once untouchable Man of Tomorrow. Superman could only taste his own blood, his nose was broken his ears were ringing. The sounds of everyone around them screaming was enough to make him feel like his head was about to explode.

The red sparks covering Metallo's body had set the oil around both Superman and him up in flames. Metallo goes in for another punch but Superman catches his fist with his own hand "JOHN! You are out of control! People will die if you keep this up! This isn't you...the kryptonite is affecting your mind...it's making you do this!" Superman stops an attempt of the cyborg using his free hand to hit him "You let your obsession for revenge drive you...change you...if there is anything left of the man who you were...please stop this!" Superman begs as he struggles against Metallo.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Must kill you! Kill!" Metallo's red core illuminates "Kill!" Metallo growls as he pushes back against Superman.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't save your sister or you..." Superman lets loose ice-cold breath upon Metallo, but the red lightning and the heat of his body negated any effect that it would have had. Superman's eyes widen as he sees that his ice breath has failed. Metallo headbutts the Man of Steel and sends him flying through the building next to them. The crimson-lit Cyborg dashes after Superman. From above on the rooftop opposite the now crumbling building.

Batman kneels on the edge as his eyes look to the building in front of him "**Lucius! I need another EMP blast as fast as possible**"

"**Lucius?**" Batman asks as he couldn't make out the man's words "**Alfred, can you hear me?**" the dark knight taps the side of his cowl. Looking up Batman sees Metallo thrown out of the building and Superman quickly charging towards him, punching him across the skyline of Metropolis "**The red kryptonite that is powering Metallo...it must be messing with his systems and scrambling my signal to Alfred and Lucius. John just shoved an energy source powerful enough to power Metropolis for a year right into his core. His body won't be able to handle that immense power for too long...if we don't do anything about the red kryptonite, we could be looking at an explosion big enough to take out all of Metropolis and anything in a two hundred mile radius**"

Metallo flies towards Superman and punches him to the ground and hits him with his heat vision. Batman sees that the cyborg's body was covered by red violent sparks of electricity all around his body. The crimson crystals that punctured through his body were radiating with a ferocious red light over and over. His metallic body slightly cracks around his chest and arms "Kill...Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!" Metallo screeches. Superman winces in pain as he holds his fractured shoulder. His red cape was now torn, his mouth covered in blood, his teeth stained in the red liquid, and his right eye was bruised.

"John...don't do...this..." Superman wheezes as he dribbles blood and coughs.

"Kill you! Kill...KILL" Metallo descends onto the ground and stands in front of Superman. His metal skull cracks, revealing a powerful red glow from underneath "John is dead!" the cyborg grabs Superman by the cape and lifts him to look him in the eye "Just like you will be..." Metallo echoes.

"**Superman! He is going to explode and take Metropolis with him! Destroy his core now!**" Batman yells from up high as a Batarang was thrown at Metallo's back. The Cyborg turns his head towards Batman and sends two beams of red energy from his eyes towards the dark knight. Batman leaps off the building and barely dodges the explosion that struck the roof.

The cyborg turns back to Superman "This...is...for...my...sister..." Metallo's eyes shine brightly "This...is for her!"

"No...this is for you and deep down you know that. She wouldn't have wanted you to become this. I'm sorry I couldn't save either of you, I truly am. The kryptonite inside you is too unstable and is corrupting you. Please...stop this. You are going to blow and take millions of innocents with you. You swore vengeance against me...not the people of Metropolis. If there is anything left of the man who you once was...listen to me and stop this...before it's too late!" Superman dribbles blood that drips down his chin, down his costume.

Metallo's body emits a red sphere of energy that expands across the entire city, sparks of red lightning strikes down everywhere in sight. All the buildings were darkened as their lights were shattered. Metallo looks all around him as he sees the mayhem that not just he caused but of what is bound to happen "She...would fear me..., you did this...to me. You caused this, yet you are the hero? This world...is broken...I don't want any part in it anymore..." Metallo uses his spare hand to reach his core "Yet you will live...my sister won't...or..." he rips out the red kryptonite from his chest and crushes it in his hand; turning it to dust "Me...-" the cyborg falls to his knees and lets go of Superman.

The sphere around the city fades as well the sparks that cover Metallo's body. His veins turn from red to black and his crimson eyes darken as he slumps over and lies on the ground. Superman looks at the deceased man and lowers his head as he kneels next to the lifeless body "But you will be remembered...I promise" the man of steel feels a hand placed over his shoulder. Turning his head he sees Batman stood next to him "He was a good man once...a long time ago" Superman tells the dark knight.

"I know...and in his last moment...he was good again" Batman comforts the man of steel "He made the right choice when it mattered the most. His human side must have been fighting the whole time and it won in the end, and that's the part that matters the most" the dark hero gives a slight smile to the other hero. Superman stands up, looking up in the sky as he sees the sun rising and the day taking back the city. He too smiles as he is enveloped in the early hours of the sun, his scars and bruises heal.

"Hey,...you're talking without your voice changer? Did you finally realize how ridiculous you sounded?" Superman places his hands on his hips

"I don't know. Have you realized how ridiculous you look?" Batman crosses his arms as he looks back to the man of steel "...I don't usually say this...and don't get used to it. I wanted to say...thank you. I couldn't have done it without you..."

Superman raises both of his eyebrows and was at a lost for words "Did you just...thank me? I mean really...did you just thank me? Can I get that on paper?"

"No. No, you cannot" Batman quips back as he holds out his hand "Good work"

"You know...one of these days I might actually figure you out" Superman brings his hand forward and shakes the other man's hand.

"Highly doubt it" Batman replies with his usual stoic expression "Could you do me a favour? Bruce Wayne is meant to still be in Metropolis so I am going to need you to take Firefly back to Gotham. More desirably on the GCPD rooftop. The commissioner there will know what to do with her" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and aims it one of the skyscrapers close by.

"I think that I can spare a minute, plus I need to pick up Toyman anyway. What about that other one? Catwoman was it? She is an accomplice to Firefly...whether she likes it or not...what are you planning to do with her?" Superman inquires as he holds his arms to his sides "She seems like a good person...from that exchange that you had after I left...it seems you two have quite the history...I would understand if you don't want her to be put in prison"

"What did I say about the eavesdropping?" Batman says under his breath but knew that the other man could hear him loud and clearly.

Superman drops his arms to his sides "Batman,...I used to be alone, refuse to work with others...I built all kinds of walls around me in hopes that none of my enemies could hurt me, but cutting myself off from others did the opposite of that. It made it even harder to reach out for help. Knowing that you are out there gives me hope that there are more of us...more people using everything that they have to save people...to be heroes. We aren't the first heroes and we will not be the last...you are not alone, not anymore. If you need my help...I'll be there, remember that"

"Just what I needed...a bunch of super friends" Batman retorts.

"Well...I was personally thinking more on the lines of a...league. It just sounds right, but for now, we just have to settle with being The World's Finest. Take care of yourself" the man in the red cape says his final words as Batman shoots out his grapple gun and is launched away from the ground. He watches Batman glide away far away in the distance as he gives a smile "I don't look ridiculous ...you look ridiculous" Superman says under his breath as he turns his head as he hears the sounds of police cars heading his way.

"I really should get Chloe to get in contact with his man behind the scenes. We may have stopped Luthor for now, but I got a bad feeling that this only the beginning of something much more dangerous, and we need to figure out just what that is" Superman thinks to himself as the remains of the red kryptonite on the ground steadily begins to glow.

* * *

**Gotham, Arkham Asylum **

Dr Harleen Quinzel saunters towards the last cell door at the end of an overly long corridor. She adjusts her glasses and knocks on the door "Mr J? It's time. Everythin' is in place" she coos. From within the cell, the man in question gave a haunting grin. Dressed in a straightjacket and the black and white standard Arkham Inmate bottom uniform. He stands up and turns his head towards the bars on the door to the room, his eyes meet with Harleen's own.

"Good...my arms were getting quite numb" J lowers his arms and shakes his hands "Everything is in place? Perfect...time to raise some hell. Oh...my Batman. You had to face-off with some of the poorest excuses for criminals that this town has to offer...well not anymore...I'm here for you. I, the villain of your dreams...I won't let you down...Gotham, bare witness to..." his lips curve into an even wider grin. He turns his body to face Harleen as he holds his hands behind his back. His eyes narrow and his posture straightens.

"Joker!"

* * *

**Chapter End**


	14. Vote Harvey Dent

**Vote Harvey Dent**

* * *

**Gotham **

**\- Mayor's Office -**

**7: 26 PM**

Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock sit beside each other in the Mayor's office with the unscrupulous Mayor himself looking back at them as he holds a copy of the Gazette newspaper in his hands folded over. Mayor Aubrey Janes leans his head back as he looks at the two men "Batman? Does this costume freak think that he can just waltz into my city and patter around like he owns the damn place? Not in my city. Why haven't you caught him yet? He is the biggest known criminal in this city right now. Vigilantes...they act like they are exempted from the law...that they can just go around beating the hell out of criminals..." the mayor raises his rigid eyebrows "If someone with a badge did half the stuff that he does...he would be ripped of his badge and hauled through the streets as a disgrace..."

Jim sits with his arms folded and his chin up high as he makes eye contact with Aubrey "Considering that your idea of the biggest criminal in Gotham is the person stopping most of the crime that takes place...I would say that Gotham is in much better shape because of him. I do not like how rough that he can be...but he doesn't use lethal force like most of the cops in the GCPD would have to do when their lives are in danger. At least with Batman around, casualties for both criminals and officers have seen a heavy decline; he's getting results"

Harvey chimes in as he rolls back his shoulders "With all due respect, Mayor. I have to agree with my friend here. We are still recovering from the attack on the GCPD and all. Honestly, it's nice to know that I can go a couple of days a week without having a gun pointed my way. The GCPD, at the state that is in now, can't possibly even do work equal to Batman...we don't have the manpower or funding to get the equipment that we need"

Mayor James drops the Newspaper down on his desk "I didn't ask for your opinions. I said that I wanted that freak brought in. And the fact that I have to be the one to tell you to do so speaks volumes about you're so-called principles. You should have gone after the guy as soon as he stepped on the scene, but you sat with your thumbs up your asses while he went around the city and brutalizing countless people. When I asked you to stay Gordon, I did so in the hopes that you would do your job, but apparently, you can't. A couple of years back you would have despised this Batman and would have done anything to capture him" Aubrey leans forward "What happened to that man that you were? The man who would have gone after that masked lunatic without a second thought?"

"Gotham happened" the commissioner replies "I spent a long time in Gotham, and I haven't managed to change anything. I thought I could, but Gotham...it gets to you, changes you. Maybe Batman is bad for Gotham and will only make things worse, he might be our only hope to save the city...or maybe he'll make no difference to the city, but I've tried to do things my way and here we are back at square one. I wish things weren't this bad, that things weren't at the point where he is necessary to this city, I dreamed that fear would not be the way to stop criminals, but I tried to bring hope to Gotham...but it never lasts" Gordon unfolds his arms and places his palms together "I don't like that he's here, but I am thankful that he is"

Aubrey James takes a deep breath "Well I'm not. He is causing way too much trouble, much more than he's worth. He is drawing attention from some very scary places. If he keeps up the pressure on the criminals...they are going to go to an extreme length to get rid of him, and I don't want Gotham getting caught in the crosshairs"

"So that's what it's about. Your campaign downers don't like the idea of him causing them trouble. You're afraid that if you are to not do anything about Batman; they will lose faith in you and go to the next politician who will take their dirty money. The election is coming up soon and you know without them pulling the strings from behind the scenes...you will have no chance to win. Everyone in Gotham knows that you are corrupt, they will joy when you are thrown out of office when Dent takes your place" Jim holds his shoulders up high as his tone of voice was only slightly off from sounding like a threat.

"Jim's right. People know that you only got your butt behind the desk because you are easy to bend over it" Harvey comments towards the Mayor.

"Listen here you two. I'm asking for the GCPD to do their job, but the criminals will tear Gotham apart to kill Batman. They don't care who they will hurt, I am asking you to do this. Without Batman, Gotham will still sleep soundly, but if you let him keep running around causing all kinds of trouble...who knows what kind of chaos may follow"

"I'll think about it" Gotham replies "But tell your campaign downers such as Sophia Falcone that if they even think about coming out of the shadows to harm Gotham in any way...this time it's not just me that they will be dealing with. I'm sure Batman would be more than happy to take them all down...then we will be coming for you" the commissioner was quick to add. Mayor James was left speechless in response to the man's threat.

[**Outside the Mayor's Office**]

"You threatened him?! Jim, what the hell were you trying to do back there?" Harvey asks his partner in a distressed tone as they back walk outside in the streets of Gotham "Who knows what he will do with you now. You could end up dead tomorrow. He could send some kind of assassin your way. He could blow up your house!" he and Jim walk down the concrete steps.

"I am sick of him sat in that chair...Gotham needs someone in power that can't be bought. Someone who wants to get rid of the underworld of the city, there is only one man in the city who can win against Aubrey and lucky for us...that's the guy who is running"

"You honestly think that Dent can win? Hey, I know that he can do good, but he will have a big target on his back. You would have to be a madman to campaign against the Gotham mobs. I know I don't have the stones to do that, and knowing who is backing him...jeez...who knew that politics could be so exciting. I do hope that Dent is elected though...it will be nice to do our jobs without having a pair of eyes watching us" Harvey replies as he and the commissioner make their way towards his car.

Jim reaches for the handle to the door of the car and pulls it open "Let's just hope that nothing crazy happens in the meantime"

* * *

**Arkham Asylum **

The cell door opens to the open-room full of the inmates as a man walks in with his arms held behind his back. Wearing the mandatory black and white striped jumpsuit, the man walks across the room as a large smile forms on his face "Oh...I am going to miss this place...no where else is as whacky as here...I feel like that I will be leaving a part of myself here" Joker follows up with a light chuckle. Turning his head he sees Dr Quinzel follow in after him "Oh...you. You're early, Harley. You weren't supposed to show up for another five minutes"

"Uh...there's a bit of a problem" Harleen replies.

"Unless...that problem includes pointy ears and a cape, I don't want to hear it. No excuses" Joker begins to walk forward as he looks at his fellow inmates. Harleen follows behind with a clipboard that she holds to her chest. Joker closes his eyes and presses his hand to his nose "Okay...I'll bite. What is the problem? If you screwed this up...when I did all the planning and all the work. So help me woman" he clears his throat as he hears Harleen walking next to him.

"Sorry Mistah J, but what you are asking isn't easy. I can't do it as easily as you think - there are rules and regulations" Harleen explains causing Joker to slowly tilt his gaze to her.

"Harley, Harley, Harley, Harley...you are killing me here" Joker replies as he walks past a bald inmate who was sitting on the table next to him and who was covered in scars all around his body "Oh, afternoon Zsasz. Hope you slept well...Ohhh a new tally mark. Please tell me about that one sometime...I thought we were missing one of the guards" Joker pats the man on the shoulder. He looks back to Harleen "Anyway where was I? Oh...right. Harley...we have been over this...you need to do it. you do care about me, don't you?" Joker asks in a sad tone which tugged at the woman's heartstrings.

"Of course I do puddin'. But I can't-"

"Don't pull that crap with me, Harley. It's times like this when I miss Ecco" Joker looks at the back of his hands and his nails "I thought you said that everything is in place, right? So what the hell happened? You weren't lying to me, were you?" Joker grins as he leans closer towards Harleen "That...would be disappointing..."

"What I said was true...but it's not me who is messing up the plan. It's what comes after that scares me...I won't be able to come back from that"

"You should be even more for it then" Joker chuckles as his eyes look at the clock in the room "Oh...here it comes. 3...2...-" Joker laughs as he grabs Harleen and throws them both to the ground as an explosion destroys cell doors sets the room on fire "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" he loses himself in a fit of laughter as the guards were shot and killed by a group of masked men. The men storm into the room and grab as many inmates as they can. One makes their way towards Joker and sees Harley.

Pointing his gun at the blonde, the masked man was ready to fire until Joker stops him as wags his finger at him "She's with me. Until I get bored...then by all means..." Joker stands to his feet and drags the blonde up too as he takes her hand "You weren't supposed to be here yet...oh well...I'm more of a plan B sorta guy anyway, Plan A's just always seem to fail...so I should really just start going with plan B and just forget about Plan A all together...

* * *

**Sirens Club **

The reopened bar was packed with dozens of people, one of them was sat up at the counter as she chugs down another shot from a small vodka glass. Selina Kyle presses the glass down and looks and the bartender "Another" she orders. Cleaning his hands with a soft towel he gave her a worried look but still went to refill her glass. A redhead took a seat next to her, Barbara Kean gave Selina a concerned glance. Selina saw the woman and rolls her eyes "Let me guess...you are going to say that I had enough, right?"

"Selina. When a chose to reopen this club...I didn't do so because I wanted heart-broken women to drink their problems away. If you have a problem...no amount of drinking is going to solve it. You need to talk to your friends, talk to me about it" Barbara tries to comfort the other woman. Selina looks as the bartender returns with glass now refilled and slides it over to her. She catches it and looks to the red-head "Was it, Bruce? Do you want me to go and kick his ass?" she smiles.

"No, it wasn't Bruce. It was my fault for being so stupid" she takes a swig of the glass "He doesn't love me, he hasn't for a long time. He has his eyes set on another woman - one that is a way worse person than I am. I think she has killed a whole bunch of people too..." Selina places the glass down "I just wish that the Bruce that I knew would just return. That I will just wake up and find out that this has all been just a bad dream, but it never happens - I always wake up back in this world"

"Selina..." Barbara slides her hand over the black-haired woman's own "You are a beautiful, smart and amazing girl. I've seen the way that Bruce looks at you, he still has that same look from all those years ago. Whatever is going on with Bruce. He's not doing this because he doesn't love you. That look that he has for you...I have never been that lucky for a person that I love to give me such a look. It's like he wants to be with you, more than anything, but there is something stopping him from doing so. Like he's sacred"

"What good does that do me? I hurt him, Barbara. I went against him out of spite for him...all because I saw that he likes another girl. And I nearly screwed really bad...people could have died because of me" Selina lowers her voice to keep her confession just between her and Barbara "I acted out of anger like I was still a child. Since Bruce got back we have hardly spoken to each other, have barely seen each other, it's like he's only acknowledging me out of pity"

"Or maybe he's acting out of shame. Maybe he feels guilty for leaving you and he may think that he can't face you after that. You just need to ask yourself if you really know the true Bruce Wayne. People change, Selina and ten years away will make that even clearer. Believe it or not, but I see a lot of similarities between him and Jim" Barbara taps the woman's hand with her own.

"Oh...you have no idea" Selina comments as she takes another sip from the glass, "You told me about the darkness inside Jim, remember? Well, Bruce makes him look like the sun. He thinks that he has to take the blame for everything that goes wrong in this city. Every murder, every mugging and every other sick thing that goes on in this city. Bruce is a good man, and I love him for that, but he takes it way too far sometimes. He punishes himself for something that he had nothing to do with, it's hard to think that he has finally grown up to be this...this...?"

"This much like Jim? Bruce idealized him as a kid and still does now, it's not hard to believe that Bruce took after him in some aspects. Jim...that lovable man...I sure as hell wanted to kill him a few times in the past and I still do now, but I would be lying if I didn't want things between us to be different. I still love him, a lot. I'm guessing that you are the same with Bruce, right?" Barbara sees Selina turn her head her way.

"To a tee. How can I love someone so much that is also so outright infuriating to me?" Selina remarks.

"Easy. That is true love. Another thing Bruce has in common with Jim, he won't make a move. You have to make the move first. Just try talking to him, if he is willing to talk to you, then that means that he still cares for you a whole lot. Maybe try asking him out on a date or something like that. Unlike Jim, Bruce doesn't have to worry about budgetary concerns about dating" the redhead smiles as she sees Selina cheer up.

"What if he doesn't say yes?" Selina asks.

"It's a victory if he says anything, but no. Anything else and he is still thinking about it. I bet right now he is sitting by himself, alone in his massive mansion as he is haunted by the thoughts of losing you for good. Just go and see him, don't expect him to come to you. That Bruce is gone, that is for sure "

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

Heavy applause took over the mansion as hundreds of people cheered for a man standing on top of the stairs. A man with black hair, wearing a grey suit and that was holding a silver coin in his hand and a wine glass in the other "Thank you, all of you. It brings hope to me to see so many faces here. People that are willing to stand up against the corruption that Mayor James allows to bleed through Gotham, the streets and even the grounds on which our children play on. I vow that if I am elected by the fine people of Gotham; I will stand up against the corruption against those who wish to cause harm to the hard-working people of the city, the honest people who just want their city to be safe" Harvey Dent addresses the large crowd as he fiddles around with the coin in hand.

"With my carer as District Attorney, it pained me to see the most notorious criminals in Gotham walk free, get away with their crimes all because of a broken system that not so shocking our loving Mayor is in support for. The first thing I'll do is make it so that everyone is treated equally in the eyes of the law, your money, your profession, nor your alliances should never change the outcome of justice. I will make Gotham a nightmare for those who wish to exploit the system, who think that they have the power to tip the scales of justice in their favour. I am sick and tired of powerful and morally corrupt individuals using their connections to get off for their crimes..." Harvey adds.

From the crowd stood both Alfred and Bruce. Alfred leans closer "It is good to finally see Bruce Wayne stepping out of the shadows. I must say, Master Bruce. You picked a good time to do so. Mr Dent may be the best hope for Gotham when it comes to politics and power play"

Bruce stands with his arms folded as he gives Alfred a small smile "When Harvey first came to me about funding his campaign I was unsure, but after looking into it. Gordon trusts him so that's more than enough for me, he has helped put away some of the worst scum of Gotham without raising a fist. Harvey is what Gotham is in desperate need for...a white knight. One that stands in the light and isn't afraid to show his face..that's more than I could ever hope to be. I can't risk that kind of attention - people could find who I am"

"Still though...all this? That trip to Metropolis really did change you, didn't it? Remind me to thank that...uh new friend of yours" Alfred smiles back.

Harvey looks down to Bruce as he smiles "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for the man who is making this happen, without him...all this? It would just a forgotten dream. Everyone give Bruce some love" the black-haired man tips his glass along with the rest of the room who applauds Bruce who brings his hands up and gives a nervous smile "Thank you, Bruce. You and I are going to make a difference to this city...the good people of Gotham can finally take it back fair and square which is more than can be said for my opposition. Mayor James is sure to pull out every dirty trick in the book to stop me, but I won't stoop to that level. we will win this campaign race the right way to show the underworld of Gotham that we are done playing by their rules, we will do things the fairway, the way that will show them that Gotham is moving back into its golden age and that their time is over"

Bruce keeps his smile as he realizes that has never smiled so much in one day since he was a kid. That's how he knew that Harvey was the one meant to save Gotham. His eyes steadily look around the room and the hundreds of people there. It felt so weird for the manner to be so full of people, he remembers that it hasn't been like that since his parents were still alive. The smile slowly fades as his eyes land on someone who threw him off guard with their presence.

Talia resides among the crowd with a wine glass in her hand. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that rested against her upper back, dressed in a black dress. Her green eyes meet Bruce's as a smile forms on her lips. She tips her wine glass to him. Bruce also took note that she seemed to be wearing make-up which was very unlike her "Talia?" Bruce thinks to himself "What is she doing here?" he asks. Talia turns her back to him as she walks off and leaves the scene.

"Earth to Bruce? Hello? Anyone home?" Harvey calls out from the stairs. Bruce was brought out of his deep thought "Oh so you are home. You had us worried for a moment. I thought that you would like to say a few words too. After all, the son of Gotham needs to talk to the people sometimes" Harvey smiles.

Bruce nods as he makes his way up the stairs and stands next to Harvey. He turns his body and looks at the crowd. Bruce clears his throat "This may be my home and my very expensive wine, but this is all about Harvey. He has shown me that he is a true hero that has no problem standing in the light and fearlessly facing off against the most dangerous people in Gotham. I am funding his campaign, not just because of me or him, or even you lovely people in the crowd, but its also to bring about a new age of a people who are willing to take a stand against Gotham's underworld and the corruption that it brings with it. I hope that Mr Dent will be a shining example for the city. An example to the children of Gotham that shows them they can go and take a stand and one day also make a difference in this city. This is the future of Gotham that we all believe in"

"That means a lot. I mean it. I couldn't have asked for a better person to back me" Harvey smiles as he and Bruce shake hands "It won't be easy, but together I know that you and I will keep Gotham safe for a long time. This is just the beginning my friend, the hard work hasn't even started yet"

"I better give my accountant a call in that case" Bruce jokes as Harvey and everyone in the room laughs.

"Bruce...I got a feeling that from now on Gotham has nothing to worry about. A Vote for Harvey Dent is a vote towards a brighter Gotham!" Harvey holds up his wineglass as the crowd applauds both him and Bruce.

* * *

**Later...**

A large wooden table resides in the middle of a large open room. At the table sat ten individuals as they all look at each other, though there were only ten of them sat around the table, there were two spare seats left on the ends of the table. Firefly, Zsasz, Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Mr Freeze, Bane, Poison Ivy and a frail-looking, nervous grey-haired man who had a dummy placed on the table next to him. The dummy: Scarface's eyes flicker around as he looks at everyone else at the table. Multiple armed guards were stood around them with their guns trained on them.

Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin and Edward Nygma aka The Riddler were sat next to each other at the start of the table. Scarecrow was sat on the other side of Riddler, and Mad Hatter sat by his side. On the other side of the table sat Firefly and Mr Freeze beside each other opposite Penguin and Riddler. The old man and Scarface sat next to Mr Freeze with Bane and Poison Ivy take their seats next to the ventriloquist and the dummy.

Firefly and Mr Freeze couldn't even look at each while Riddler and Penguin couldn't be any more grateful to be in each other's company. Scarecrow remained silent and barely moved while Mad Hatter was shaking as his taps on the table "Oh dear a party I see. Oh no, where might Alice be? If she comes here I must brew some tea, Alice? Where is Alice?" Mad Hatter nervously speaks "Oh no she's not showing up is she? Oh...how disappointing this party will be..."

"Okay...what the hell is wrong with him?" Penguin asks.

Riddler looks to him "He was considered too dangerous to be left in any cell so they locked him solitary confinement for the last ten years. The isolation seems to have done him no favours" he explains as he rests his arms on the table.

"What? They can't do that! That's...awful and seems quite illegal" Penguin comments.

"Think that's bad? You should try the meatloaf...now that is criminal" Riddler replies.

"Enough of this! Why are we here! I and shorty over there were in Blackgate when an explosion went off and by the time I woke up...I was here" Bane growls as he slams his fist against the table; cracking the wood where his fist had landed "I am not one to be played with. The person behind this will suffer!"

"Oh...I am going to have a great time making them scream. Though getting out of Arkham sure does put me in a good mood. I may end their lives a little quicker than I originally planned" Ivy replies as a smile creeps on her lips "Then I am going settle the score with a pair of thorns in my sides"

"Revenge? Such a foolish mindset to uptake. With your abilities you could accomplish so much...yet you are so quick to go straight back to the thing that got you locked up in the first place" Mr Freeze observes "I want to leave this city...I have no business here or revenge that I want to act upon. I am a man of science...thus that is where I must focus myself" the sub-zero mask adds.

"Oh shut it! Bad enough that we are in the same room, but that we are forced to sit together? I would happily burn myself alive if I could" Firefly growls at the man sat next to her and looks to the older man that had the dummy now in his lap "So...what's your story?"

The old man lowers head in shame "I'm...Arnold Wesker...I, uh...I'm not good...with...talking to others, please forgive me..." Arnold trips over his worlds like it was his first time walking. Scarface turns his head to Firefly as he raises his eyebrows "Aye, get lost. Can't you see he doesn't want to talk to you bug" Scarface grins. Arnold covered his mouth in shock "Mr Scarface...please don't be so rude...I'm trying to make some new friends" Arnold reminds the dummy who rolls his eyes "Keep dreamin' pal. You only need me"

Penguin looks to Riddler "Are you kidding me? Again with the dummy? Oh Ed, please shoot this one in the head too"

"Noted" Riddler replies.

"Oh, where are we? Oh, where are we? We are all at the table yet no host to greet us? Oh, this is not good, not good at all. Why aren't they here to meet us? Mad Hatter asks as he fiddles with his fingers. His long hair covers most of his face in thick strands and he wears a black suit along with a tall hat "Oh...my poor Alice she will be not pleased with the manners of our host...oh...where is Alice?" Mad Hatter cries as he lowers his head.

"And I thought that I was a dummy. Wow man...you got issues" Scarface laughs.

Scarecrow lifts his hand but remains silent.

Victor Zsasz chewed on a piece of gum as he looks around the room "This reminds of the time a couple of years back, I think around 4 - maybe 5...no...six. Six years ago. I met this beautiful young lady, she was quite the looker yet she was so miserable with her life" Zsasz points to his arm and to a scar "See this little beauty? This is her. She had all the money she could ever want, a family that loved her, yet when I looked into her eyes as I stabbed her... I saw that a great weight had been lifted from her...that or she was passing out from the blood loss, I'm not an expert"

"Alright! That's it! WHO THE HELL IS BEHIND THIS!" Penguin screams at the top of his lungs as he slams his hands on the table "I demand to know who the bloody hell is behind this! When I find out who did this...I will tear your throat out!"

Oswald chokes on his own words as he hears the doors to the room open "That's the spirit! That is what I like to hear!" a voice calls to him. Oswald and the others turn their heads as they see a strange looking man, dressed in a purple suit accompanied with a purple trench coat with yellow gloves. The man was ghoulish in nature like he came right out of a nightmare. His red stained-lips that were in a haunting smile and his face that was painted white. His few yet hard to miss strands of green hair increased the unnerving appearance of his.

* * *

**Arkham Asylum **

Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock walk through the now broken and burnt hallways of the asylum with a countless number of body bags "Oh this bad. This is bad. Every psycho in Arkham is now back on the streets" Harvey tells his partner who keeps on the path towards the cells "Jim...you don't think this is what Mayor James warned us about? That his downers would go to no lengths to take out Batman. This is mental even for those crime bosses"

"If Aubrey knew about this and didn't tell us. I will drag his ass right out of that office and into a cell with my own hands. Do you have a roundup of all the escapees?" the commissioner asks.

"Where do I begin? It just wasn't here, Blackgate was also attacked. Let's see. Ivy Pepper, Victor Zsasz, Victor Fries, Brigit Pike, some guy named Arnold Wesker, Johnathan Crane, Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot, oh no...Eduardo Dorrance, and...oh sweet Jesus no..." Harvey looks Jim in the eye "He's free...Jeremiah Valeska..."

"You are telling me that someone broke into Arkham and broke out the most dangerous criminals in the city and managed to hit Blackgate at the same time? I can't imagine that even the people pulling the strings of crime in this city would be stupid enough to do this, especially with Jeremiah. This whole thing seems way too crazy to be the plan of one of the bosses. Black Mask is a businessman and wouldn't let the inmates tear up the streets...it would be bad for business and Sophia Falcone isn't that stupid either...this is the work of someone knew...someone..."

Jim and Harvey both walk into the open-area that usually homed the inmates, looking at the wall in the back their eyes set upon a joker playing card was stapled to one of the guards' head that was nailed to the wall through his wrists and fingernails. His shirt was torn open with the word "Ha" cut into his stomach more times than they could count. Jim fold his arms as he turns his head to Harvey "Poor son of a bitch" Harvey takes his hat off and holds it close to his chest "We have to stop whoever is behind this. Between the gang of looneys on the loose and our Mayor being a jackass, who the hell are we supposed to deal with this problem? A load of people are going to die..."

"We'll find a way. We always do, plus we have a backup. Whoever is behind this must be sacred that Batman is onto them. This whole thing stinks of desperation and irrational thinking. Whatever Batman is doing...he must be doing it in the right place..." Gordon replies.

Both men look at each other as they see Alvarez head their way "We got a survivor. One of the psychologists. She's out there getting medical treatment. She could answer some of our questions" the man tells Harvey and Jim who nod as they follow after him until they are meted with the sight of a blonde woman who was being seen to by a paramedic "Excuse me, ma'am. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions about what happened?" Harvey inquires in a soft-spoken voice "What's your name?"

"Harleen, Harleen Quinzel" the blonde tells the men as the paramedic wraps a bandage around her hand "And sure...go ahead"

"Can you tell us what happened here?" Jim kneels down to make eye contact with the woman "Any information that you can give up will be a great help towards us arresting whoever is behind this" he adds as he sees Harleen give a slight nod towards him.

"I didn't see much of anything. All I know is that a bunch of armed men barged into place and shot it to hell, I think I even heard an explosion or something like that" Harleen explains the best that she could which she knew wasn't too helpful towards the men "That's all I saw. Sorry that I couldn't be a better help. Those bastards killed all my colleagues...poor souls, they never stood a chance"

Alvarez looks down to Harleen "It is to my understanding that one of the inmates that you worked with was Jeremiah Valeska, correct? Can you recall if he made any hints towards what happened today? It could be a real help if he mentioned anything about it?"

"I wish I could tell you what you want, but patient-doctor confidentiality is still active. Being a psychologist is the only thing that I am good at, and I am not going to give that up" Harleen responds as looks to Alvarez with her blue eyes.

"Jeremiah Valeska is a very sick man. You do not know the hell that he can unleash if he is allowed to stay on the streets. If he told you anything about what was going down today...please you need to tell us. You could save a tone of lives " Harvey interrupts

"Or what? Are you going to arrest me? I already told you that I legally cannot tell you. It's against the rules...and I respect them. But I can say that just between us. He didn't do this, there is no way that he could have from in here" Harleen explains.

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent sit in the dim-lit living room with the fireplace lit and burning brightly "Bruce. I can never thank you enough for this. I know that you are taking a big gamble on me and I promise you that I will not let you down. Thanks to your funding and backing my campaign. Gotham will have brighter days ahead of it. Even though the election isn't until a few months, we are already leading with the votes. Gotham is finally taking a stand against the corruption and I am honoured to be the man who will guide Gotham into a brighter future with you by my side"

Bruce leans forward and smiles "Please. You are doing all the work...I just open my chequebook and call it a day. All this? That's all you. People believe in you Harvey. The people of Gotham want a new face, someone who can make a stand and not give in to the money of people who want to abuse the system. Harvey, I wanted to thank you for coming to me about this. It mean the world to me that you trust my family as much as you do...I am here for you"

"And I want to warn you, Bruce. Mayor James knows that you won't give up on me. He and his campaign downers will do anything they can to take you out of the picture. They will be looking into you, they will try and find anything that they can exploit for you. So Bruce, watch your back. They will be gunning for you just as hard as they will be coming for me...let's just hope that you have nothing to hide from the world" Harvey comments.

"I assure you that I have no deep dark secrets"

"I know, Bruce. But that won't stop Mayor James from trying to get at you. Politics...is the most violent sport out there, people will always want blood. Just watch your back, I don't want you getting hurt because of me. You already have been through enough already. We need to stick together, in the coming weeks we both know that we are going to both have targets on our backs, but I know that if we make it through this and if I am elected...Aubrey James and his friends will never get the chance to threaten or intimidate anyone ever again" Harvey plays with the coin in his hand.

"Sounds like a plan" Bruce smiles.

Alfred walks into the room, holding a metal tray with cups of tear that he places down on the table between the two men "Your tea, Master Bruce and Mr Dent. I hope that all is going well" Alfred folds his arms behind his back "It so nice to finally have a guest in the manner. The exploits of a billionaire can only hold so much amusement"

"Thanks, Alfred" Bruce smiles at the man as he picks up the cup and sips from it "You should take a load off too, Alfred. It's been a busy day. You should head for bed. Harvey and I still need to go over a few things before we can call it a night"

Alfred shakes his head "I'm ready to head up for the night, Master Bruce. But I thought that I should tell you that board of Wayne Enterprise has called an emergency meeting and have requested your prescience for tomorrow"

"That's strange. I thought Wayne Enterprise has been at the highest point in its history. What could there be an emergency about?" Harvey questions as he sips from his cup of tea "Maybe they picked up your ever so gracious donations to my campaign"

"Doubt it. I paid for that with my own money" Bruce explains.

"You did that? Did you pay for me with your own account? Geez...thanks...that means the world to me" Harvey Dent's voice was full of warmness.

"I said that I believed in you. Of course, I would do that. I like to put my money where my mouth is" Bruce smiles "Did they say what it was about, Alfred?"

"Indeed sir. It seems Mr Dolton has sold his shares in the company to someone outside the Wayne Board" Alfred explains.

"Sold his shares? He has the fourth highest shares of the company. It was worth billions, why would he sell it?" Bruce asks the older man who only shrugs his shoulders "That is not like Mr Dolton. He loves the company. I can't see him willingly sell his shares..."

"That does sound very suspicious" Dent comments.

"He had an 11% hold in the company. Who could have the money to buy that besides the people that already have shares in the company. Even then you are talking about over ten billion dollars. I need to look into this when I can..." Bruce tells Alfred.

* * *

All those that sit around the dinner table were left in shock at the man with Riddler who nervously tugs at his own collar. Joker looks the gang of criminals around the table as he stands next to the end of the table "Nice to know that none of you caused any trouble...yet again. I wouldn't have minded seeing some of your brains being emptied all over the walls, but the night is still young...very young indeed. You may be wondering just why, oh why are you here?"

"Okay! Who the hell is that supposed to be?" Penguin points at the ghoulish man. Riddler leans closer to Penguin and whispers in his ear. Knowing what he was told, Penguin's eyes widen as he quickly drops his arm back onto the table "Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt" he gulps as sweat drips down his brow.

"Good, next time you do that...I'll cut you" Joker chuckles "Friends...you are probably wondering why you are sat around a dining table with several guns pointed at your heads? See...we are here for a purpose" Joker slides in the chair at the end of the table and rests his elbows on the surface of it "We are going to bring Gotham to its knees..."

"Really? You broke us all out because you thought that we were willing to work with you...crazy bastard?" Bane scoffs.

Firefly taps her nails against the table "Listen, clown, I am really thankful for getting broken out of Arkham by you, but I have plans like getting payback an old friend...I'll burn her alive"

Joker kicks his feet up on the table and leans back "Oh no, I didn't break you out. Sure I planed it, but I didn't actually get us out. Someone else did that. The point is that we are all free, and we are going to try and take Gotham for ourselves...but there is one person standing in our way..."

"Gordon? Please, he is nothing" Ivy comments with a smirk.

"Gordon? Get out of here! Hello, Princess. Where have you been all this time? Living under a rock" Joker grins.

"So he is real, isn't he?" Bane asks "The Batman. The name alone speaks to me as a great and worthy opponent"

"Oh, he's real alright. He and Catwoman seem to have a thing going on between them. I bumped into Batman in Metropolis, that son of a bitch ruined the best gig that I ever had" Firefly growls.

"Sounds like a lot of hogwash to me darling" Scarface's eyes turn to Firefly while Arnold looks away nervously "Mr Scarface, we shouldn't mess with Batman" Arnold's teeth chatter. Scarface's eyes roll "Shut it, dummy. I will make short work of him" Scarface replies.

"Yeah...I would love to face Batman again, but my sides are still hurting from last time" Penguin nervously protests.

"I'll do it. I will take him on and intellectually surpasses the dark knight as I, the Riddler show the world that no one is more intelligent than I am" Riddler smirks "I will devise the most devious, the most mind-numbing conundrum that even Batman can't solve!"

Scarecrow lowers his head "Fear. He rules by it, he relies on the cowardice of the criminals, I respect him for that. However, fear...is my domain and mine in enact. I do not scare, unlike others, I know fear for strength rather than a foolish weakness..." he presses his claws against the table "I will take accomplishment in taking out this Batman"

Mr Freeze's eyes narrow "I will not bend to your whims. I have had a long to time think over the years. I am a man of science, I will not partake in this witch hunt of yours"

Ivy nods "Speaking as someone who has been on the receiving end on more than her fair share of witch hunts...I got to agree with the popsicle. I would rather just kill Bruce Wayne and that bitch: Selina Kyle. I have been dreaming of making their dead, rotting corpses fertilizer for my little darlings"

"That's good as well" Joker laughs as he turns his head to Mad Hatter "What about you? Are you game?"

" Callooh Callay, guess without Alice there is only Batman to play, very well I shall join you in your little game, just to see if Batman is truly insane" The Mad Hatter smirks.

"I'll take that as a yes" Joker stands to his feet and grins "It is settled. You will take Gotham one by one to take the Bat. A little game of ours shall be quite fun. From this point, you will have seven days to come up with a plan to take down the bat. There will be no teaming up, nor sharing information with each other. If you break these rules...you will be killed, got it? In a week's time. We will come out of the woodworks and act on our plans. The first one to kill Batman wins"

"What do we get if we win?" Firefly asks.

"The respect of Gotham's underworld. The one who kills Batman will be held as a king...or queen to them. Also, I think the guy said something about fifty million dollars, but respect is worth so much more than any amount of money" Joker laughs.

"fifty million...dollars..." Penguin's mouth was watering "I'm it!"

"Me too" Ivy smirks.

"Eh, I will kill anyone for the right price" Zsasz comments.

"Good. Now, what about you..." Joker asks as he looks to Mr Freeze.

"No. No amount of money will change my mind" Mr Freeze tells Joker.

Joker smiles "See. You are a man of principle. I respect that. A criminal with honour...now that is something beautiful, but also damn right annoying. But don't worry, I thought that you pulled this kinda crap, so I came prepared...you will have a reason to kill Batman...my friends made sure of it" Joker chuckles "Hugo Strange is doing something that will make it that you will not be able to say no"

* * *

**A/N:**

So another chapter and another story to come along with it. I will say from the start that this story is going to be a lot more Bruce Wayne focused rather than his adventures as Batman. Though their worlds are going collide soon enough which I am excited to do. Second of all, this will be the longest story so far and is going to go on much longer than the previous two arcs. Third: Since we dealing with Joker here, the violence is going to be ramped up to show just what a monstrous force that he is.


	15. Calm Before the Storm

**Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

**[7 DAYS UNTIL OPERATION: KNIGHTFALL]**

"Batman, you know him. He is the only thing standing between us and ruling Gotham once and for all. He has fought against the criminals of this city like he owns it. Like he has taken it for himself. But we all know that no matter how hard he fights, how hard he tries to stop us; Gotham is and has always been ours, the villains. He may try to stop us, no, we all know that he will be coming for us in his misguided dream of taking back this city, but he can't take back that of which was never his, to begin with. Gotham is the city of heroes who have fallen, I say we keep up that tradition!" Joker laughs, cackling like a maniac as he slams the sharp end of a knife into the wooden table "Let's put on a show!"

[**Riddler**]

The man dressed in a green suit that was covered in question marks grabs his cane. A smug grin forms on his face as he fixes his green-tinted glasses and puts on his hat. Fitting on his gloves, Edward Nygma looks down to the desk in front of him with a pile of blueprints that show the schematics of buildings all around Gotham "Riddle me this, Dark Knight. Who comes in the night, yet will vanish in the dawn of a new day, who will disappear as quickly as they came? Your time is up" Riddler held back a chuckle as he places his cane on the desk next to the blueprints

/Don't underestimate him, my friends. He may dress like a bat, but he is nowhere near as crazy as you think. If he sees a weakness...he will exploit it/

[**Mad Hatter**]

Jervis Tetch sits in a dark room as he sits at a round table full of silver platters and teacups. The Mad Hatter's eyes look around him as a several people were tied down to the chairs around the table with rabbit masks over their faces "Oh dear me what a pity, soon we shall take this city and unlike my Alice...it won't be so pretty" Mad Hatter pours tea from a teapot into the cup next to him. He lifts the cup and sips from it "Oh what fun this will be! A whole week to plan the ideal party

/You may think that you can take him in a fight, right? Well be my guest...that will just mean there will be less competition for the rest of us/

[**Poison Ivy**]

Ivy Pepper holds her palm out. Dressed in a green dress, she looks as a plant slowly bursts through the stomach of a man that was tied down. Blood splats everywhere as the plant grows in size to be arms-length. The Man was left in a spasm of pain and screams as he kicks and struggles with every breath that he has left. Blood squirts from his mouth and his stomach. Ivy creepily smirks as she admires her work as the man gasps on his last breath "My little darlings...we will soon take Gotham..." she whispers as the blood from the man drips down her from her eye

/If you have a chance to kill him - take it, you will not get another one/

[**Penguin**]

The fancy dressed man puts on his monocle and grins. He has several men holding assault rifles that surround him "Well my friends. We got a fifty million dollar prise to collect. I say we get to work and kill the Batman...and make him suffer for messing with me" he limps over to the large weapon cash full of handguns, riffles and even a few missile launchers "I own this town, not Batman, not those crazy bastards. This is my city and I will not give it up to anyone! Do they think that I will just kill Batman? I'll kill them all in due time!"

/You may think that you can outsmart him, right? I have bad news for you then...don't try anything too smart...he'll see right through it with ease. The best way to keep him off your track is not to just laylow, but not to form to any sensible plan. Make it weird, make it hard to read - that way Batman will get off your back while he tries to figure out your plan/

[**Firefly**]

Letting lose a large burst of fire from her flamethrower. Firefly grins as the fire in reflected in her vizor "I'll burn him to ash. This will be payback for messing with my jobs" she has an open-mouth smile as she sees the once orange flames turn to blue and their temperature increases "Not even his fancy suit can save him from my new flames...he will be melted in the thing like a tin can"

/But remember one thing, have fun out there/

[**Zsasz**]

Victor Zsasz dressed in a professional black suit puts together a machine gun and places it on a workbench next to its duplicate "Fifty million? All to kill one man dressed as a bat? And mother said that my life was going to be weird, this will show her...if I didn't kill...but it would have if I didn't"

/You have seven days from now to make a plan. Simple enough, right? Come up with a plan, I don't care about what it is...just end it with the death of Batman, got it? When times is up we shall begin our little game. You will be free to face Batman as you please. By all means...feel free to get in the way of the others, It will make it way more fun, and I love a laugh every now and then.../

[**Scarface**]

Arnold Wesker gulps as he sees the dummy in his grip turn his head towards him "Listen up here dummy. Do as I say, capeesh? There is a lot of dough riddin' on this job. Don't screw it up or I will wring your neck, understand me?" Scarface threatens as he appears to have a cigar hanging from his mouth. Arnold gave a shy nod "Yes sir, Mr Scarface. I understand completely" the man begins to sweat as he sees Scarface begin to glare at him "I'm warnin' you, pal. A dunce like you better not mess with me. After we are done with Batman...I want the others to catch these hands. I will rule this city not any of those dummies"

/Remember to put on a show. The whole of Gotham is going to be watching...you wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?/

[**Bane**]

Bane's eyes narrow as he attaches a syringe full of green fluid to his sides of his belt "This Batman will make a worthy opponent in battle. It is time that I see it for myself. Time to see if I can break the bat" Bane twists a dial on his glove as green tubes attached it to it go all the way around to his back where a small canister of green liquid rests. His eyes are tinted green as the venom enters into his body.

/So go now, my little killers.../

[**Scarecrow**]

The robe covered man, cloaked in a layer of torn cloth and a mask with a hood placed over it. He looks in front of him to a gagged man hanging upside down from the ceiling with his arms tied between his back. Scarecrow grins as he sees the man trying to get free, struggling and crying "Why so afraid? Fear is a good thing, it lets you know when you are out of your league and tells you when to keep going. It makes all the hard decisions so you don't have to. It is a blessing in disguise, not just some negative feeling that you were raised to perceive it as...as you can see..."

Scarecrow raises his hand to be level with the man's face and sprays gas into it.

The man's eyes widen as his vision was distorted and replaced with a hellish landscape covered in flames as a demonized Scarecrow who raised his scythe towards the man as he swings it forward and slices the man's head clean off his body. Blood spills all on the ground and Scarecrow steps into the pools of crimson liquid as he grins "In this case...it did you no favours" he spins the scythe in his hand and places it onto his back. His oversized sleeves hid his grotesque hands and his robe was long enough to hide his legs and feet which were reddened by the pool of blood on the floor.

"Batman will come to realize that fear is mine and mine alone to rule. Studying him will be quite an honour"

/Gotham is waiting.../

[**Mister Freeze**]

"What nonsense do you beckon me for, Strange?" Victor Fries asks. A cold to the touch man that was dressed in a high-tech suit with a pair of goggles covering his eyes underneath a transparent helmet. Mister Freeze looks to the professor who was stood in front of him "Have I not made myself clear? I refuse to play a part in your crude game. I am a man of science, not some muscle that you can hire to do your dirty work. Let me leave Gotham" he tells Hugo Strange.

Hugo Strange smirks as he holds his arms behind his back "Oh my, Victor. You were specifically chosen for this little experiment of ours. I am too a man of science, but more importantly, I know how to read people and you are like an open book. All the others have their motivations for joining. Revenge, greed and selfish desires. But you? You have no such things holding you to this city. That is why I thought of the perfect way to get you to play along...you are a family man, correct? Nora, your loving wife. Tell me, Victor, what has the world been like for you without her? Have you felt less restraint, maybe you lack the motivation to continue? Do you feel a great emptiness...pardon the pun, but do you feel cold inside without her?"

"Consider choosing your next words carefully, Professor. My memory of Nora brings some painful emotions to come to the surface, a pain that I will have no problem showing you. Speak your business and do it without using my deceased wife"

"Oh Victor, what if I were to tell you that you and your loving wife can be reunited in the world of the living?"

"I already warned you, Strange"

"There is truth in my words, Victor. Though your wife is indeed dead. If you were to be the one to kill the Batman...I can easily make a clone of her. A perfect copy with all her memories, hopes and dreams. It will be like you and her were never split between worlds. You know full well of my past with these clones...so I hope you will not doubt me, and I am a man of my word"

"Nora? You can...bring her back to me?"

"Relatively speaking, yes. The Nora who you married is gone forever, but I can make it so that her clone will think that she is indeed the real one. Only you would know about her origin, so do we have a deal, Victor?" Strange asks.

"Using my wife against me...that is a whole new cruel for you..."

"Deal or no deal, Victor? This is a one time offer...if you refuse my offer...being returned to Arkham will be the least of your problems"

"I need time to...think...I need time to think this through"

"Don't take too long now...I am a busy man"

"..."

/And it's not going to come to you/

/Operation: Knightfall will begin in seven days/

* * *

**GCPD**

**The Next Day...**

**[6 DAYS UNTIL OPERATION: KNIGHTFALL]**

**4: 23 PM**

Harvey Dent's eyes tense as he fiddles with the coin in his hand "Let me get this straight. In one day...the most dangerous inmates from both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate are mysteriously broken out right after Mayor James gives you some kind of cryptic message about the underworld of Gotham not being happy about the Batman? How can that be a coincidence?" he turns around and looks Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock who shared his same scepticism "And not to mention the timing of me leading the polls against him?"

Jim folds his arms "We do have reason to believe that both you and the Batman are putting a lot of pressure on James and his...friends. The breakout could be a last ditch effort to get rid of Batman and may be used to intimidate you...or also put your life at risk. I'm sorry to say this, but I need to ask you to drop out of the race. Not victory will be worth your life. James has been full of empty threats lately...but his campaign downers won't be. If Black Mask and Sophia Falcone have anything to say about it...you could be another target of the escapees"

"Drop out?" Harvey Dent grits his teeth "I will not be threatened by the same scum that I have been putting behind bars for years. I will not drop out of the race...if anything this sure as hell has made me even more driven to win. Mayor James cannot go unpunished for this...this... atrocity against Gotham and its people"

Harvey Bullock holds his hand out towards Dent "Listen, man, I respect you for your devotion to this city, but they are out for blood. If you stay in the race you could be dead by the end of the day. Everyone knows that you are an advocate for Batman, so they could use you to get to him or vice versa. Either way, I am not liking your odds of survival, at least let us put you into protective custody or something"

"Harvey's right. I know that Bruce has been helping to fund your campaign solo, but he will understand if you want to drop out. I think most of Gotham will understand - they aren't dumb...they know Aubrey's true motives" Gordon backs up his partner.

Harvey Dent tightens his grip on his coin "The people of Gotham have had enough of cowering to those bastards. I am not dropping out, I am going to stand up to them...I will not give in to fear, I will show Gotham that those monsters are nothing when the city can come together. I owe it to everyone in this city, every man, woman and child,...Bruce. You know I remember when I first encountered him, we were tracking down the killer of his parents...he was so scared... Bruce and I will make sure that no other kid will ever have to experience that dread. If I drop out now...I will be breaking that promise..."

"Are you sure? Because this whole thing seems crazy. You sure that you are up to it?" Bullock inquires.

"I like to make my own fate. I won't let anyone else deter me, Gotham needs someone to stop Aubrey...and if it won't be me...we all know who will take up the task. I just hope that Bruce isn't brought into the middle of this...knowing Mayor James; no one is off limits." Dent replies.

"He has done more scummier things in the past" Gordon looks to Bullock "Bruce is smart. He will have nothing to hide...well for his sake I hope that he doesn't. James will use any and all things against him. Bruce is taking quite a big risk with all this"

"I know that he is. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to be behind me" Harvey Dent smiles "But it looks like he's got his own problems of his own going on right now. I just hope that the mayor has nothing to do with this one. Do you have any leads on the whereabouts of the escapes? There must be some clue or something"

Bullock shakes his head "Whoever is behind this, they have resources, major resources. It was a quick in and out job, they left no witnesses. They even killed some of the inmates. As of now, besides the escapees as a doctor in the Hospital, there are no survivors"

"Wait. Go back a moment, there is a survivor in Gotham Central? This is huge, maybe they can tell us something that they might have seen" Harvey Dent tells the other two men "Any bit of a clue may lead to the person behind this whole thing"

"Doubt it. She's really shaken up" Gordon interjects.

"Yeah, seeing all your friends being murdered right in front of your eyes can do that to a person" Harvey Bullock adds.

"Poor woman. I can't imagine what that must have felt like. Countless people are dead, a whole bunch of lunatics are hiding in Gotham and we have no information, no eye witness willing to walk and the Mayor who is probably laughing right at us. One thing that I don't understand is how quiet things are. Usually, they would be tearing up the streets by now, yet...there's not even a peep from them. No unusual reported murders, no sightings of them...what are they up to?" Harvey Dent addresses the other two men "If this is all to kill Batman...we can be damn sure that they are going all out. Who knows how many lives will be put in danger?"

"The calm before the storm, sounds about right for this city" Bullock looks to Jim "Can just one normal day go by in Gotham for once. It's always with the lunatics, the dead coming back to life, and now a man dressed as a bat to beat the crap out of those lunatics. If this keeps up I'm so heading for early retirement"

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise Tower **

**5: 56 PM**

Bruce Wayne steps out of the elevator as he reaches the top floor of the tower. Fixing his tie, the billionaire looks ahead of him towards the room where he needed to go "This better just be a fluke. I can't afford to be dealing with this conjunction with the Arkham escapees" he mutters under his breath as he waves to the people that he walks past. He looks to the desk in front of the room. The secretary looks to him with a smile on her face.

"They're ready to see you, Mr Wayne"

"Thank you" Bruce pulls open the glass doors to the room and walks into the meeting. A long table with over a dozen men and women all sitting all around it. Bruce looks to the end of the table where his chair was. He gives a smile towards the people around the table as he takes his seat "Morning. I was hoping that we could make this quick. I just need to know what is going on with Mr Dolton. I was informed that he sold his shares of the company to an unknown individual..." Bruce looks across the table at the one empty seat.

"We called you here to discuss just that, Bruce. We were all worried too, Mr Dolton has nothing but love for this company so we were just as confused as you when we first heard about his dealings. After all, he sold all 11% of his shares of the company...which is worth billions. We had our own team look into it and found nothing that would indicate to a boardroom coup, however, we did find out who bought Mr Dolton's shares, or rather she found us..." one of the men across the table answered.

"Excuse me, did you say she?" Bruce raises an eyebrow.

"We asked her to come and meet you, and she seemed all for it. So...we thought why not set up a meeting to introduce the two of you" the man turns his head and waves "You can come in now"

Bruce's eyes look towards the doors to the room and saw them pushed open. His eyes widen as he sees a familiar looking woman walk into the room "No..." he thinks to himself as a dark-haired woman dressed in a white shirt underneath a black blazer. She also wears a pencil skirt with black leggings and high heels. Her hair was hanging loose down her back. She begins to walk towards the table. Talia's eyes greet Bruce's and a smile forms on her face.

"Bruce...this is Talia Ducard. She is the newest member to the Wayne Enterprise board, her resume is quite impressive"

"I see" Bruce mutters as he sees Talia sit in the empty chair. She gives a flick of her hair and rests her hands on the surface of the table.

"Mr Wayne. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I heard...some great things" Talia sends a small wink his way. She rests her chin on the palm of her hand "It's so good to finally meet face to face. No fancy getups or expensive fast cars. Just you and me sitting in the same room. I must say that you look even better from this close of a view"

Bruce rolls his eyes and bites his bottom lip "Talia Ducard was it? Welcome to the Wayne Enterprise family. I hope that you will feel welcomed"

Talia bats her eyes "Thank you, Mr Wayne. I know how busy of a man that you are so I understand that coming here on such short notice must have got in the way of a few of your plans. I just couldn't wait to see you, and I got a feeling that you felt the same way. I understand that you had some questions ready for me? Well go on, fire away" Talia turns in the chair to look him the eye, "I think it is best that if we to be doing business together that we have no secrets, right?"

Bruce leans forward "Miss Ducard. I feel it is best that we talk in private. It is only fair that I get a one-on-one meeting with you. I always found it the best way to know just who I am working with if that is alright with you?" he proposes.

"Not at all. Anything for you, Bruce" Talia's green eyes pierce through him, the same look at he has had many times from "I'm sure that we can arrange some time for us to meet that won't cut into your nightly business, right?"

"Now is good"

"If that is what you want, Mr Wayne. I would not want to disappoint the head of the company" Talia agrees.

"Thank you all for coming, but can you please leave us?" Bruce asks the rest of the room who one by one leave the seats and walk out of the room. Soon it was only Bruce and Talia in the room as prolonged silence plagued the room for more than a minute. Talia crosses her legs as she leans over the table towards Bruce.

"What? No hugs? Not even a kiss for me? I'm really disappointed..." Talia coos with a smile.

"What are you up to...*miss Ducard*?"

"Straight to be the point? You haven't changed, Bruce. I love that" she leans back in her chair and holds her hands to her lap "As for what I am up to? I'm just investing in one of the most powerful enterprises in the world. Mr Dolton was more than happy to sell his shares to me when I agreed to get the murder charges dropped against him" Talia informs Bruce.

"That's absurd! Dolton is one of the nicest men that I know. He would never kill anyone"

"Maybe, but if his fingerprints just happened to end up on the murder weapon, somethings telling me that the GCPD wouldn't have the same faith as you do in him"

"You were going to frame him for murder? That's cold...even for you" Bruce growls under his breath.

"To be fair I could have just had him give me his shares, but I chose to compensate him for it. He knows never to speak about this whole ordeal if he wishes to remain a free man"

"Enough. I know that you are working with Black Mask. One of his goons told me that he saw you with him"

"You must forgive me, I have no memory of working with this Black Mask. In fact, I have never work with any kind of criminal before...well except for you" replies Talia with a glance of her eyes.

"He called you The Demons Head, how can you just sit there and lie to me when I know that you are the only person in this city that the title applies to? Whatever you and Black Mask are working on I will stop you. Don't think for a second that I won't" Bruce threatens.

"Oh, my love. When have I ever referred to myself as *the demon's head*? In all the years that we have known each other...I have never called myself that once. If anything that title is being reserved for you and you alone. Listen, Bruce. I know that no matter what I say you will always see me as being a bad girl, which in some cases...I don't mind. But you saying that I am working with Black Mask? You must really want for me to turn out to be a villain, don't you?"

"Give me a reason to believe a single word that you have said. If you really are innocent as you claim...give me one, just one reason to trust you" Bruce asks the woman that sat across from him "Talia. You have remained hidden in this city until last night at my party...I find it funny that the breakout at Arkham and you becoming apart of Wayne Enterprise happened at the exact same time. You have to understand that my caution towards you is well warranted"

"Perhaps, but I love you Bruce, and you know that I would never be apart of a ploy to release the sickest of people back onto the streets. I hold my father in the highest regards in many places, but his methods have never been one of them. But it doesn't matter what I say or do, you will never trust me because I am his daughter. Even though I helped you stop my sister and healed you through the Lazarus, you still think that I don't have your best interests at heart" Talia stands up and walks closer towards Bruce "After all those years together and you only see my father in me" she scoots onto the table, sitting on the corner next to Bruce "You know how to treat a girl, don't you?"

"I'm not saying that you have never helped me before, I just know that you had your own motives for doing so"

Talia leans over closer to the billionaire "And you were always one of them. You asked me not to kill Nyssa or the Talon...so I did as you asked. Same can't be said for that other girl of yours back in Metropolis. She was ready to shoot an unarmed man in anger, even if he was Lex Luthor...she still pulled the trigger and would not have given it a second thought if she had actually killed him"

"Like you never killed a person before, Talia. And how do you even know about what went down in Metropolis?"

"The Shadow's eyes and ears are all around the world, where there is a civilization, we will be there. And of course there is blood on my hands, that is the justice that I was raised with. If someone did something fowl enough to require death...we killed them. Just because the League of Shadows is not apart of a government or some institution, doesn't mean that our ways are any more wrong than anywhere else's. Face it, Bruce, even you have blood on your hands. You killed my father not once, but twice" Talia raises her eyebrows to him as she inches closer to him and lowers her mouth next to his.

Gravity had caused her hair to fall down to ensnare Bruce "I am not your enemy Bruce, and I never will be. I'm not working with Black Mask, but that doesn't mean that I am not here on a mission of my own" Talia's thumb brushes against the man's bottom lip "There is something dark coming, Bruce, something evil. Something that even my Father feared. And it's coming here fast" she whispers to him and her hands cup the man's face as she looks down to him "Something that you cannot beat, not even the shadows can. Lex Luthor, Black Mask and all the others. They are working for something...something ancient, even if they don't know it. They are making way for its return, and if it is to return...not you, not me or any living thing on this planet can stop it"

"What's coming here?" Bruce asks.

"I don't know, no one does. All the Shadows know is that it is on its way to this city as we speak. Rumours speak of a man who has lived for millions upon millions of years. Apart from that, there is nothing to go and apart from the fact that it is coming to this city. Not even my father knew what it was and he lived for centuries"

"So you're telling that you came here to stop some unknown force and neglected to tell me about it when my city could be on the line" Bruce snarls to Talia.

"Gotham is always on the line, my love. Every hour of its existence it is drawn closer towards its end. I was planning to tell you, but I needed more information to go one. I have had the shadows infiltrate all through this city since the night I came here, and nothing. They couldn't find a single thing except that whatever it is...the Arkham Breakout, your trouble in Metropolis and even my sister. They are all connected somehow. That is why I had to become apart of your company's board. My influence throughout the world has been increased and with it comes a higher chance of finding who is behind all of this"

"You are many things, Talia but a liar is not one of them. I am trusting you to be honest with me from now on" Bruce tells the woman as he stands up and looks her in the eye "But remember one thing. If you think of betraying me, it won't go well for you"

"How can I betray your trust when you have never truly given me it" Talia moves her hair behind her ear and smiles to him "You are going to have to trust me, Bruce. Having you watch me over my shoulder all the time will only draw suspicion to us. You need to let me go at it alone sometimes, there may need to be a couple of moral compromises that must be made along the way, but it's for the greater good of Gotham" Talia tells Bruce as she sees him walk away from her "You never could make the hard decisions, could you?

"Because they're not mine to make" Bruce calls back to her as he leaves the room.

Talia rolls her eyes "That stopped being true a long time ago, my love"

* * *

**Batcave **

**7: 07 PM**

"I must really get the wax out of my ears, Master B. I actually thought that you said Ra's al Ghul's daughter has bought a large part of Wayne Enterprise, but that would be ridiculous" Alfred sarcastically chirps to Bruce. The Billionaire sits in a leather chair as his eyes focus on the large monitor in front of him "Well out with it old chap. Tell me why Talia did that. Surely you must have got something out of her that can be of use, or maybe you can take another crack at it as Batman and really make her talk"

"I can't imagine that Batman would get any more out of her than I did, in fact, she would get way too much enjoyment out of it. Plus there is the fact that even at my best I couldn't beat her in a fight, let alone actually scare her. She gave me enough...apparently she isn't working with Black Mask even though whoever is must be going by the name of the demon's head, which only the League of Shadows and a select few know about" Bruce looks through the files of the escapes from Arkham and Blackgate.

"And you believed her? How do you not know that she is not playing you?" Alfred suggests to Bruce.

"Trust me, Alfred. Whether I like it not, I know Talia. She may be many things, but a liar isn't one of them. No wonder why we both thought that working with Black Mask was against her code because she isn't. She told me that she bought the shares in Wayne Enterprise so she could strengthen her influence all around the world, apparently she says that she thinks that there may be an evil mastermind behind all the problems that we ran into the last through months. First: Nyssa, then Lex and now Black Mask and the breakout. One of them must know something...if it is true" Bruce sighs.

"Well, Nyssa is out of the picture if Talia got her way, plus even if she was still alive. The Shadows aren't too forgiving of traitors. You haven't found Black Mask after all these months and none of his men know anything about his location, so I imagine that only leaves Mr Luthor who miraculously stayed a free man even with evidence that you gave our friend in red and blue. Maybe you can ask him if he can get anything out of Luthor that was indicate such foul play" the grey-haired man calculates, folding his arms and turning his head to Bruce.

"He's off-world" Bruce quickly replies as he searches through a cornucopia of new files that spring on the large monitor "We'll focus on that after we catch all the Arkham patients and Blackgate Prisoners. Getting them back behind cells as quickly as possible is our priority at the moment. I had Lucius hack into the GCPD database and had him send me all the files in relation to both the breakout and the patients who were broken out. Maybe I can figure something out that the GCPD had missed"

"That would be a great start, Master Bruce. But just what are you going to be looking for? I doubt the GCPD would have taken the chance to miss anything that could assist in figuring the whole thing out. This whole breakout is a big deal after all"

"Maybe they were looking in the wrong place" Bruce stands, folding his arms and looking to the screen "From these records, there was only one survivor of the Arkham staff on that floor. Harleen Frances Quinzel, she's a psychologist that works for Arkham. That is very curious..." Bruce comments.

"How come?"

"She was on the wrong floor. Her office is a couple of floors down and on a different side of Arkham. She shouldn't have been on the floor that she was on at that time. The staff on that wing of Arkham were left alone by the masked men, so she couldn't have been dragged there and they would have been gone before she could reach there"

"Now that you mention it. It does sound a tad suspicious" Alfred agreed "Hold on. Look at her patient list" Alfred points to the screen.

"She had quite the list. Let's see. Ivy Pepper, Zsasz, Johnathan Crane, Firefly, Arnold Wesker, Riddler and Jeremiah Valeska. She has had appointments with all the escapees from Arkham besides Victor Fries who needed to be kept in a specialized unit to be kept alive and Jervis Tetch who was locked into solitary confinement for the last decade. Can't be a coincidence that most of the people that were broken out also had her as their psychologist" Bruce observes.

"Are you thinking that she is behind this? That is quite a stretch even for the world's greatest detective"

"I know, Alfred. Knowing that Oswald Cobblepot and Eduardo Dorrance from Blackgate makes my theory fall apart. I can't say for sure about the extent of her involvement, but she is involved in the breakout in some way. I need to look into her more before I can say with confidence if she is in on it or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, though I am leaning towards the former. They are going to strike sooner or later and I want to be ready. Computer, bring up all files of the escapees" Bruce tells the Batcomputer; causing for a whole new load of files to take over the screen.

"I can't wait to see those monsters back behind bars"

Bruce nods "We will stop them, Alfred. I promise" Bruce steps forward "Ivy Pepper aka Poison Ivy. She used to be friends were Selina after she lost her parents and was living on the street, I need to give her a heads up; she could be in danger. She has the power to control plant life and even emulate their spores. She is not some one to be taken lightly. The last time I met face-to-face with Ivy; she took control of me. I can't risk that happening again"

"I'm all for preserving the environment and all, but can't she just be like one of those activists who chains herself to a tree or something"

"Edward Nygma aka Riddler. He's an unmatched evil mastermind...is what he thinks of himself. Though his intelligence is not something to underestimate, his arrogance and pride makes him easy to outsmart and outwit. He seems to have an obsession with proving that he is the smartest man in Gotham. He may try and take me on again"

"Eh, so much for him being smart then"

"Brigit Pike aka Firefly, another old friend of Selina's. Good thing I had Lucius build heat resistance into the Batsuit. Last time we met, she was working for Lex in Metropolis to help steal red kryptonite. Selina and I both were involved in putting an end to her job. She knows Selina as both Selina Kyle and Catwoman. Selina will be in even greater danger than with Ivy"

"Things may get heated up between them, Master Bruce"

"Oswald Cobblepot: The Penguin, unlike the others. He is too much of a coward to take me on his own. He is bound to have hired help. He had his fair share of taking over Gotham and was torn down every single time, no doubt this time will end the same way"

"And I thought penguins were meant to be lovely creatures"

"Here's a face that I don't recognize, Arnold Wesker. He was a professional ventriloquist for decades before he was sent to Arkham. These reports say that he suddenly started to show characteristics of dissociative personality disorder and become a danger to both himself and the public. The Audience thought that the arguments between him and the dummy were just apart of the show...that all changed when the dummy pulled out a gun on the audience..."

"Oh lord, that must have been terrifying"

"Jervis Tetch: the Mad Hatter. He specializes in hypnoses, the best there is. He was decided to be too much of risk and was locked into solitary condiment since he was put back in Arkham. From these reports...he was stuck in the room for all of that time and was never let out. This can't be right...this is wrong. Even with the things that he has done...he didn't deserve that. These reports say that he formed and now suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. They didn't even both to help him, they were just going to let him rot in there" Bruce was shocked by the harsh treatment.

"That's despicable...even for Arkham" Alfred was equally in disbelief.

"Victor Zsasz. A known hitman employed by multiple crime families, most notably the Falcones. Zsasz makes a cut in his skin in the form of a tally mark every time he kills a person, this says that the staff at Arkham just stopped counting after a while"

"Has he never heard of tattoos?"

Victor Fries aka Mister Freeze, cold as ice. He needs to be kept at sub-zero temperatures to survive and has a specialized suit help preserve him. He started his criminal profession when he was trying to find a cure for his wife: Nora Fries when she was dying of a terminal illness. Seeing that the man that her husband became, she killed herself. After that, Victor became just another common criminal, he and Firefly were known to fight a lot. You can count on them keeping up their fights"

"And I can count on you getting in their crosshairs, right?"

"Johnathan Crane: Scarecrow. We both know how much trouble he can cause. He uses fear as a weapon, something that we have in common. He uses a unique toxin that makes whoever breaths in experience their worst fears. He needs to be one of the first inmates to be thrown back into Arkham, he's way too dangerous to be allowed time to make an even more deadlier form of his toxin"

"Never liked that guy"

"Eduardo Dorrance: Bane. He was locked up in Blackgate after his siege of Gotham failed. He has been causing trouble there since the moment he got there. He ruled the prison, all the other inmates and the guards feared him. There may be a chance that he will try to take over Gotham again and if he does; I'll be there to stop him"

"Don't let me get in you then. Feel free to beat his ass until your heart's content. Bastard almost broke my bloody spine" Alfred growls.

"Last, Jeremiah Valeska. A monster in human skin. He knows who I am, you could be in serious danger, Alfred; you aren't capable of protecting yourself the same as you could before. If you think that he is near the manner, run into the Batcave and shut yourself it" Bruce orders Alfred.

"Understood, Master B, so that is the notable escapees? That seems way too much for both you and the GCPD combined. It only took a couple of them to take over Gotham before, but with ten of those maniacs? I dread to think what they can accomplish. Why would anyone let them loose?" Alfred turns to Bruce with a worried look.

"To kill me. That is the only explanation. I must have been getting too close to something that whoever did this didn't want me to. The mayhem that they'll cause, all the destruction and lives lost...it will be all my fault. Even if I do manage to catch them all, the destruction that they will cause will do more damage to Gotham than it can handle..." Bruce lowers his head and plants his hands on the console of the Batcomputer "Alfred...what have I done?"

Alfred places a hand on Bruce's shoulder "Listen here. They are desperate to get rid of you, this means that Batman is working. He is scaring the living hell out the criminals and they can't risk Batman staying around. If you can stop this...maybe that will finish them off for good. Because feeling sorry for yourself sure as hell won't solve a bloody thing"

"Alfred...this is all my-"

Alfred pushes his hand into Bruce's chest "You have started a mission, Bruce. It is your duty to see it to the end. It won't be pretty that is for damn sure, but the damage is already done. Quitting now will just be letting those monsters roam around Gotham with no one to stop them. If you think that you caused this...then it is your responsibility to solve it, after that you are going to need to have to think about whether Batman is needed in Gotham, but not now. Right now Gotham needs him more than ever"

Bruce steadily nods "You're right, Alfred. I need to get this done"

"I will be with you every step of the way, Master B" Alfred gives a quick smile "We will get through this"

"I know. I'm going to give Selina a heads up. She's been hanging around the sirens club ever since it reopened. I should look there first" Bruce walks off and grabs his jacket "Keep me updated"

"Will do, Master B. Be careful down there. Men of your wealth aren't known to have an easy time down in those parts"

"I'll be fine, Alfred" Bruce replies as he enters the elevator.

"My concern is more directed towards any thug who thinks that it would be a good idea choosing you as their target"

* * *

**Sirens Club**

**8: 13 PM**

If Bruce had to describe how felt in the reopened club, it would be out of place, like he didn't belong in it, dissonant. Dressed in his business suit sure didn't help with blending into the club and among the people who all stared at him like he was lost. Like he was a feather in the midst of a raging tornado "Really should have gone with something less fashionable" Bruce thinks to himself as he nervously looks away from the glares across the club, fixing his tie and adjusting his cufflinks, he lifts his head and stops in his tracks before he could bump into the redhead standing in front of him.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Bruce Wayne in my club? This is the part where I say that I feel honoured, but really I am just wondering what brings you here" Barbara Kean ask inquiries, dressed in a black strapless dress. She gives Bruce a nudge and a playful smile "Relax, I know why you are here. I can see it in your eyes. It begins with S and ends with elina. It's nice to finally see you again, Bruce" Barbara turns her head towards the bar where Selina was sitting "She seems to be feeling really guilty about something, says that she endangered a lot of lives, whatever that means. Can you please talk to her? You have always been good and getting her to open up...in more than one way, but still..." Barbara slides her hand forward "She needs you, Bruce. You can't keep running away from your feelings for her...you owe it to her"

"Miss Kean, I am-"

"Barbara. Call me Barbara, there is no need to be so formal, even with that suit that you have got on, and no buts. She needs you, also if you break her heart again...I will kill you. I will sneak into your mansion when you are sleeping and kill you, violently...they will need to use a vacuum to clean up what is left. Toddles" Barbara pats the billionaire on the shoulder as she walks off.

"I can see why Jim dated her" Bruce says under his breath as he paces his way towards Selina. He sees an empty seat that was beside her. Gathering all his courage that he has, he took his seat beside her. Bruce always found it weird that he could go out into the night as Batman and take on the monsters of Gotham without breaking a single sweat, but when he tried to talk to Selina, that is when he feared. Bruce rests his hands on the counter knowing that she hadn't taken notice of him yet.

His right elbow unknowingly nudges Selina's glass and sends it off the counter as it shatters on the floor. Bruce quickly jumps up as he sees Selina turn her head to him with a frown "Oops...my bad" Bruce excuses himself as Selina rolls her eyes.

"What are you doing here? Also, you owe me a new drink" Selina rubs her eyes.

"But the glass was empty" Bruce sits back down next to her.

"Like you don't have the money to spend. You have enough to keep Dent's face plastered all around Gotham. I can't turn a corner without being greeted by the sight of his mug. So tell me, have you come to yell at me some more? I think you made your point crystal clear before. You don't want me in your life, yet here you are. Just what kind of sick joke are you playing at" Selina glares at him "So about that drink"

Bruce takes out his wallet and opens it "I only got hundreds on me"

"Oh poor you. You must have it so rough...I can't imagine how you made it this far..." Selina spoke with slurred words.

Bruce looks to Selina "I think that you have had enough. This...this isn't you. What is going on with you, Selina?"

"You're funny, you know that? You were there, remember? I was selfish, I helped steal the red rock-thingy and because I did; that metal man nearly blew up the city and all the people in it. He only had it because I agreed to steal it. I willingly worked with Brigit even though I knew that she was a killer and to top it all off, when you were so elegantly telling me how much of a screw up that I was, you were spot on. I could have been responsible for millions of deaths...just because of my greed" Selina begins to cry "So as you can see...there is a lot going on with me"

"I'm not sugar coding it. You screwed up big-time, but the fact that you feel sorry for it, tells me that you are still a good person. Did you ever think of stopping the whole thief thing? A girl like you can get any job that she wants. You're smart, resourceful, and caring. There are a lot of places that would love to have someone like you onboard" Bruce tries to comfort the woman.

"Yeah sure...for standing on the corner after midnight"

"That's not what I meant"

"I know, Bruce. But remember unlike you, I grew up on the streets. I haven't been to school or college. No place in their right mind would even think about hiring me. I chose the whole thief thing because it was the one thing that I was good at. I didn't have a boss, and I could choose my own hours, plus it was a lot of fun" Selina tells Bruce.

"What if I said that I could pull some strings and get you a job at Wayne Enterprise. I can't promise that it will be as exciting as your previous jobs, but it will let you sleep a whole lot easier" Bruce offers the woman sitting next to him. She coins an intrigued look.

"Are you offering me a job? What as your secretary? Bruce if you wanted to sleep with me...you don't need to go that far, though I commend you for the thought"

"Not like that. Not as a secretary either..."

"I'm not working a desk job, Bruce. That's way too boring"

"Enough, Selina. Just have a think about it, please? I know I can find you something that you will like to do" Bruce begs Selina as he takes her hand into his own "We may not be on the best terms right now, but don't think for a second that I don't want what is best for you"

"Could've fooled me. Anyway I know that's not why you are here. You were going to warn me that Bridgit and Ivy are out of Arkham and mostly will be coming for me...and Ivy will be gunning for you too. So you should watch your back...or cape. Whatever suit that you are wearing when it happens. Those maniacs are going to try and take over Gotham again and you are wasting time here with me. I find it funny that when you have all the free time in the world, you can't spare a minute to talk to me, but when there is a big looming threat, you suddenly pop up to say hi. You are really confusing" Selina notes.

"I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt" Bruce looks Selina in the eyes.

"I already have, Bruce. I'll think about that offer, I promise. In the meantime...Gotham needs you more than I do. Thanks for coming...it means a lot" she moves her hand away from his and lowers her head "Don't let those monsters win, Bruce. Please, I heard Jeremiah escaped too. Stop that bastard"

Bruce nods as he stands up "Sorry about the drink. Give me a rain check on that" he leaves her company as he heads towards the exit.

"Sure" Selina mutters.

Bruce taps his earpiece "Alfred? What's the situation?"

_"It seems that your presence is required on top of the GCPD"_

"Thanks, Alfred. Send the car around. I need a change of clothes"

* * *

**GCPD Rooftop **

**8: 34 PM**

Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock all look up the bright beam of light that brightens up the night sky. Harvey Dent stands with his arms folded with his right hand angled upward just under his neck as he fiddles with the coin in his hand "So you just light up the night sky and the hero shows up to save the day? That's really on the nose. It couldn't be any more obvious even if you put a bat on it" Dent leans his head towards the commissioner who nudges his shoulders.

"Well, we don't exactly have his phone number. If you have a better idea I would be happy to hear it" Harvey Bullock leans against the signal.

Gordon looks up into the sky "May I remind you this is not going to become a habit. We already have the Mayor breathing down our necks, the last thing we need is him finding out that we have been working with Batman. We are simply out of options and even worse...we could be out of time. Hopefully, he has made more progress than we have on finding out who is behind this whole thing" the commissioner explains to the other two men.

Harvey Dent gives a small smile to Jim "Still though it is amazing that you and Batman have been in league with each other for this long. You know if I actually live long enough to see the election and win; the first thing I will do is help Batman become a hero. Imagine the things that he could get done with a badge? He could make a real difference if he didn't have to tiptoe everyone like the ground was made of glass. I will help all of the GCPD and now I am going to work to secure a better alternative than Arkham"

"Hold it there pal, I'm all for Batman getting to do more because that means that I can do less, but there have been too many broken bones in the ER lately, and I know that it's not our men doing it. He needs to learn to lighten up before you can make him an official member of the GCPD, plus we will get sued the hell out of if he starts working for the Mayor's office or the GCPD" Bullock aired his grievances "But a part of me also wants to get my hands on those cool toys of his"

"This is to remain between us, got it? We can't risk the news getting out that the GCPD has secretly been getting help from. That is bound to destroy our image...whatever good faith is left in it anyway" Gordon turns his head and sees a figure lurking in the shadows high above "He's here"

"Where?" Dent squints his eyes as he looks in the same place that the commissioner was "I can't see a thing"

"You'll get used to it" Bullock pats the other man's shoulder.

Jim steps towards the shrouded vigilante "You know why we called you here?"

"**The Breakout at Arkham and Blackgate. I have done my own investigation**" the lurking individual throws a folder over to Jim. The commissioner catches it and opens it "**As for who is behind it. My first thought was Black Mask. But I am starting to think that someone else is behind this**"

"Black Mask was one of our main suspects too. What makes you think that he didn't do this? You have been messing with his operations for months" Jim Gordon asks as he flips through the files in the folder "You thought the same thing as us, didn't you? Sionis is a businessman before he is a criminal. You may have messed up his operations, but the breakout has a high risk of stopping his flow of money for good. Even he wouldn't take that risk"

"**Right. None of the inmates had the time or resources to do this themselves so that rules out it being one of them**"

Harvey Dent looks over the commissioner's shoulders at the files "So it wasn't the inmates or the biggest crime boss in Gotham, then who? Who would have the motive to such a reckless thing?"

"I guess it is our jobs to find out. Do you think that it was the Mayor? He has it out for both Dent and you, Batman." Harvey Bullock chimes in.

"**Considering that the breakout happened while he was in office. He is likely to take most of the blame, so it couldn't have been him either. He wouldn't risk damaging his chance at being re-elected. The other Crime bosses also share Sionis' motive of money, so it can't be them**" the dark knight replies from within the shadows.

"Well, I'm officially out of ideas now" Bullock sighs.

"We have to think about this. Those lunatics could very well be in the middle of planning the downfall of Gotham. We can't waste time playing guess who on who is behind this. Our first order of business is to capture all of them, then we should focus on who was behind this" Dent directs to Batman.

"**The Psychologist. She may know more then she is letting on**"

"Hey! How do you even know about her? We didn't let that out to the press...oh you hacked into our systems didn't you?" Bullock leans forward "Well at least we now know how you are getting your information from and how to get to multiple suspects before we could"

"Focus" Gordon turns to Batman "She's under a lot of stress. Seeing all of her co-workers killed right in front of her. She needs time to get it together"

"**I looked into it. She was found on the floor of the attack unconscious when she wasn't meant to be on that floor. She had an appointment with one of the patients at the exact time of the attack. And as you can see. Her list of patients in that folder shows that she saw most of the escapees on a regular basis**"

"Hold on just a moment. Are you suggesting that the broken, fragile,...cute Doctor is behind this? I would have picked up on any bad vibes from her and I didn't pick up on any" Bullock comments.

"Uh, she's a psychologist" Harvey Dent snaps back at the captain.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Bullock asks bewildered.

"She can't be behind it. She doesn't have the resources to do such a massive operation, but she could have still played some part in it" Gordon scans through the files "We will look into it. It's a lead and that's something that we have been lacking lately"

"**Mayor James must have some idea of what is going on. Even if he didn't cause it, you can be sure that he has a good idea who did. Harleen Quinzel has to know something whether she was apart of it or heard one of her patients say something that might shine a light on the whole situation, and then there's Black Mask. Nothing goes on in this city without him knowing about it, he is sure to know who did it. Three targets**" Batman tells the three men.

"We need to divide and conquer" Dent suggests.

"**Exactly**" Batman agrees.

"Sounds like a plan. Harvey and I will go to see Miss Quinzel in Gotham central to gather any information that we can. Dent, you go and give our mayor a visit and Batman...Black Mask is all yours. We have a lead on his location. It should be in the database that you hacked into" Gordon orders as he closes the folder and holders under his arm "And I'm keeping this. Just in case that they are working together, we need to hit them all at the same time. This way they can't warn the other"

"Sounds like a plan" Dent heads towards the roof's exit.

Gordon looks to the direction of the dark knight, however the vigilante had vanished during the time he looked away. Harvey Dent gave a confused look, looking over to Jim "That... That was a bit abrupt"

"You get used to it" the commissioner replies.

* * *

**Chapter End**


	16. Deadshot

**Deadshot**

* * *

**The Narrows **

**9: 00 PM**

"What do you mean that Nikolai hasn't met you!? If this job goes a bust; I AM GOING TO BUST YOUR HEAD OPEN, UNDERSTAND!?" Black Mask screams as he clenches the phone that he held next to his ear "NO! I DON'T WANT ANY EXCUSES! IF I FIND OUT THAT YOU KILLED ONE OF MY MEN, I WILL KILL YOU, YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY, YOUR NEIGHBOURS, THE KID WHO KEEPS GETTING HIS BALL STUCK IN YOUR BACKYARD AND EVEN YOUR BLOODY MILKMAN!" the man dressed in a white suit howls "No one cuts me out the deal..." Black Mask stands in a well-kept room, lit with candles and even with a soft jazz piece of music coming from the record player at the end of the room.

Black Mask turns his head as he sees a man thrown through the window of the room and onto the table, badly bruised and unconscious, missing a few teeth and a broken nose. Shards of glass layer on the smooth red carpet which he carefully steps over towards the front desk. Black Mask looks down to the man and tightens his grip around the phone in his hand "Never mind, I found him" he gave an unamused comment to the sight. Lifting his gaze, Black Mask was swiftly thrown against the carpet by the dark knight.

Batman strafes forward with his arms by his sides and his cape trailing over the floor and pieces of broken of glass. Batman grabs Black Mask by the collar and drags him towards the desk where he then shoves off the man that was already lying on it to throw the man dressed in white against it. The vigilante rams the crime boss's head against the surface of the desk; causing Sionis to gasps in pain. Batman leans forward so his face was next to his ear and growls "**The breakout at Arkham and Blackgate, I know that you had something to do with it! What do you know!?**"

"Ain't got nothin' to do with that freak show, even if I did, why would I tell you?!" Black Mask snarls.

Batman rams his free fist into the space near Black Mask's head; punching right through the wood "**I have been tracking you for months! I have beaten and battered tones of your men and I have stopped all your operations, you are a businessman, Sionis. It would be in your best interest to get me out of the picture!**" the dark knight increases the pressure on the back of the criminal's head "**You have your money rooted in all of Gotham, you expect me to believe that you had nothing to do with this!? You must know who is behind it!**" Batman lifts Sionis' head and slams it back into the desk.

"Sure I do. I ain't too frilled about the breakout either! It is going to completely destroy all my operations in six days! You comin' to me was a big mistake, freak. I'm not behind this, this is the work of someone even more screwed up than you! Someone who actually belongs in a bloody circus!" Sionis dribbles blood out from the bottom of his mask.

"**You know who did this, don't you!? TELL ME! And what is happening in six days!?**" Batman grabs the man's shoulders and flips him over so they could talk face-to-face. The dark knight lifts his hand above the crime lord and forms it into a fist "**TALK!**"

"I dunno. Never seen him, all I know is he planned this whole thing out for you! Some freak that calls himself the Joker. He planned all this, but for who broke out all the nuts from the fruit basket? Your guess is as good as mine" Black Mask leans his head back "And your death is what is happenin' in six days. Operation: Knightfall will be your end, this city is going to be taken over by the lunatics and I don't want that to happen, yet I hate you just as much - so you can see my dilemma, right?"

"**Crystal clear**" Batman grabs the man by the collar and lifts him as he turns to face a large mirror. Batman steadily lowers the man to be on eye-level "**I am running out of patience, Sionis. I recommend that you start spilling what I want to hear or start spilling blood, your choice**" the dark knight leans forward "**And do it quickly. What is this operation: Knightfall!? What are they planning!?**"

"To kill you!" Sionis spits.

Batman's eyes focus on both Sionis and his own reflection in the mirror as he sees a red dot shining out in the distance of the broken window. The vigilante throws Black Mask to the ground and takes cover behind the desk as a bullet was shot into the mirror; shattering it in dozens of broken glass pieces.

Sionis smirks as he slowly crawls towards the exit to the room "Kill this son of a bitch!"

Batman sees Black Mask making his way towards the exit and pulls out a Batarang and aims it at him. He throws it towards Black Mask, however, another bullet was shot into the room. Hitting the corner of the room and ricocheting off and hitting the Batarang; causing it to miss its target and leave Sionis with another time to escape from the room which left Batman alone, pitted against the sniper.

Batman's eyes look down to his sides to a broken piece of glass. He takes hold of it and slowly arches it out from the cover. Looking at the glass, Batman tries to see the sniper, but before he could. The glass was broken apart as another bullet shot through it and hits the corner of the room and bounces back off towards Batman who moves his head to the side and barely dodged the bullet as it broke through the desk.

Batman scoots back to fully be in cover "**Who the hell is this guy?**"

Out into the distance, the sniper was lying on the rooftop as he looks at the room with a red recital. Dressed in a red and black armoured suit and wearing a white mask with one eye being covered by red lens "Come on out Batman, I got a special bullet just for you..." Deadshot whispers to himself as he patiently waits for any sign of movement from his target, just one slight slip up, that's all that he would need to finish him off once and for all.

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**Mayor's Office **

**9: 11 PM**

"Excuse me, Mr Dent. You can't go in there. He's busy" a petite blonde woman follows after Harvey Dent who ignores her and shoves the doors to the Mayor's Officer open. Mayor Aubrey James turns his head to greet Harvey and with a frown showing off all his fondness towards the man. The blonde woman looks over to the Mayor "I'm sorry, Sir. He wouldn't listen" she explains before Aubrey dismisses her with a hand wave. She rolls her eyes and leaves the two men alone.

"Just what the hell are you playing at, Dent? I am an extremely busy man" Mayor James asks, clearly annoyed at the man's company "I'm not quite sure if you didn't get the memo, but Gotham is in shambles. I don't have time to waste to be talking to you"

Harvey Dent stood with his hands in the pockets of his blazer, he carefully turns on a recorder that was concealed in his pocket. Dent stiffens his shoulders and looks to the Mayor "I'm sure that you are busy...with cleaning up the mess that you created. How could you let this happen? Did you really fear the thought of you losing to me that much?" Harvey eyed Aubrey for any signs of weakness, looking for a sign that could show the man's guilt.

"What the on God's green earth are you talking about?" James Aubrey spits back at the man as he walks to the back of his desk "You think that I am petty enough to go to this lubricous means just to spite you? Why the bloody hell would I do that when I am having my name dragged through the mud by the media?" the Mayor groans as the other man's words.

Dent folds his arms and raises an eyebrow "You never could do your own dirty work, but you must know who did? If the damming rumours against you are true. You have been working with Sionis, Sophia Falcone and all the other crime lords to keep your butt in the office. And with both me and Batman attacking them on both sides of the law; they must have finally had enough with our meddling. A breakout at Arkham and both Blackgate...what madness is that? That's too much even for them, so who did it?"

"Those are some spicy allegations you just threw my way. I'm sure that my lawyers would love to hear them. Listen, Dent. I know that you are my opponent and all, but the election isn't for a few more months so I am not sure why you thought that barging into my office and trying to force a confession out of me would work. Leave. Now. Or I will call the security" James reaches for the phone on his desk.

Harvey notices that James was sweating heavily and his hands were shaking "You seem to be very defensive, usually you just laugh off the times when you are called out for your illegal activities. But something's different. You're scared of something...you're sweating buckets when it's just you and me, you know that I'm not going to hurt you, so what's going on with you?" the district attorney asks as he steps forward towards the Mayor "You know, don't you? You know who is behind this"

"Dent. Shut it. You are putting both of our lives in danger" Aubrey hisses under his breath as he plants his palms on his desk "Keep your bloody voice down. For the love of god please keep your voice down before they hear us. I didn't want any part of this...this was all-" Mayor James' eyes widen as one loud gunshot echoes through the room, followed by another and another. Mayor James's holds his hand over his chest as blood soaks it. Harvey's eyes widen as he turns his head towards the blonde secretary who held a handgun aimed at him.

Mayor James dribbles blood from his mouth and his hand that was held over his chest was soaked in the red liquid "I'm sorry, boss. But you knew the rules" she quickly aims the gun at his head and fires. Aubrey was propelled backwards onto the ground. The blonde woman then returns her sights towards the head district attorney with her hand trembling "You just couldn't help yourself, could you? You just had to get involved. Well look where it is going to get you, six feet underground"

"Ma'am, put down the gun" Harvey protests as he slowly backs away from the woman who follows after him, step by step.

"Did you not think he wouldn't know that you were coming here? He knows everything that goes on in this city...I'm sorry...but I don't have a choice...out of respect for you. I just want you to know that this isn't personal. I actually did admire you...forgive-" The blonde woman was cut off as she sees Dent pull out a coin from his pocket.

"Hold on. Let's play a game. Flip a coin, heads I walk and tails...you get to shoot me" Harvey suggests leaving the woman in confusion.

"What are you even talking about?" the blonde was caught off guard at the sudden out of nowhere suggestion.

"Look. Like this" Harvey flips the coin upward, leaving the woman to look up to it. Harvey tenses up, with a quick exhale and while she was distracted he punches her and knocks her out. As the secretary his the floor, Harvey catches the coin in his palm "Oh god...I just hit a girl" he gasps in disbelief as he stares at the unconscious woman that was lying on the ground "Just what the hell is going on?" he runs his hands through his hair as he looks back at the bloodied body of the dead Mayor "What is going on?"

Harvey Dent turns around to see a group of guards run into the room as theirs see the unconscious woman and Mayor Aubrey James' bloodied corpse lying out from behind the desk. The men quickly raise their guns at Harvey "Freeze!"

Harvey's eyes widen as he holds his hands up "I didn't do this! His secretary did!" he tells them.

The guards look down to the blonde secretary who was lying on the ground with a large mark over her eye. They turn back to him and reinforce their position "On your knees! NOW! We will shoot!" they yell at him. Harvey slowly drops onto his knees and lowers his head. One of the guards makes his way behind Dent and handcuffs him.

"I DIDN'T DO THIS!" Harvey growls.

"Shut it" the guard orders as he drags Harvey onto his feet "Let's see what the cops think of your story!"

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**Gotham Central Hospital **

**9: 21 PM**

"All I am saying is that she seems like a really nice person to me. Us just pushing her with all these questions after what she witnessed...that can't be good for her mental health" Harvey Bullock expresses his concern to his partner as they both walk out of an elevator and begin to walk across the hallway "I know that she should be considered a suspect after all with all the evidence. but there is a part of me that just feels wrong about doing this, you know?"

"And I'm sure that it is your good conscience and not what is between your legs. Harleen is a suspect, and it is our job to bring her in for questioning" Jim Gordon tells Harvey as they make their towards one of the rooms "Us and Batman think that there is a high chance that she could have been involved, the evidence is just too stacked against her to not do anything"

"I know, I know. I just think that she needs more time to recover" Harvey and Jim enter the room and see Harleen Quinzel sitting on the bed in the room. The blonde woman greets them with a nervous gaze as she sees them make their way towards her.

"Officers? Can I help you? I already told you what I already know" Harleen tells the two men.

Gordon slides his hands into his pockets "Miss Quinzel. We have reason to believe that you are somehow involved in the breakout at Arkham. Would you mind if we take you back to the G.C.P.D for questioning?" he asks Harleen in a delicate manner "We recommend that you come with us now to make it a whole lot easier on all of us later. Once we are done; you will be able to leave and go on your way" he adds. Harleen bats her eyes with a subtle nod.

"You think I had a part in it?" Harleen questions in shock "You think I worked with those monsters to kill my co-workers? What the hell is wrong with you?" she grits her teeth as she glares at the commissioner who stood still and did not fault from his position.

Harvey holds his hand up towards Harleen "No, it's not that at all. We are just really desperate for a lead. I understand that you don't want to disclose information that it is your job to protect, but we really need you to come clean with us. A countless number of lives may depend on it" the captain stresses towards Harleen.

Harleen lowers her head and rests her hands in her lap "Listen up and listen good. I had nothing to do with that. Yes, I understand how you came to that conclusion. I was the only member of staff on the floor that survived that attack, that itself is a cause of suspicion. Do you think that I enjoyed hearin' the screams of my peers? Their death rattlin' cries for help as those bastards shot them, you think that I am happy that I am still here while my colleagues are dead?"

Jim took a step closer to her "I don't know. That's why I am asking you to come with us to questioning. You must have seen something that could be of use to solving this whole thing. I know that if you are apart of this, you don't want us to find out your guilt. However, if you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, you may feel way too scared to reveal what you saw out of fear for your life" the commissioner kneels in front of her "Make your choice now. If you know that you are innocent, come with us. We can put you into protection, no one will be able to hurt you. I promise. But, if you don't come with us, I will count that as a confession and drag you down to the station right now and put you in a cell"

"Woah, Jim. You can't be serious. She's scared and threatening her will only make her worse" Bullock steps in "We need to be fair about this, Jim. She is clearly going through the trauma of what happened the other day at the breakout. She needs time to make sense of it all" he places his palm to Gordon's chest "I get that you want to get the person who is behind this, I want to too. But this isn't the way. We need to be fair to her about this" Harvey protests Jim's actions.

Both men turn their head as they hear Harleen speak up. "Fine. Whatever, I'll go with you. It's not like I expect the cops to be carin' anyway. Let's just get it over and with" the blonde bites her lip. Harleen stands up and collects her things, her handbag and her jacket.

"You're really smooth, Jim. You know that?" Harvey rolls his eyes.

"There's much more on the line than one person's feelings. I don't like it either, but we need to put a stop to whatever those lunatics are planning" Gordon observes the blonde gathering the remainder of her things as makes her way towards them "If you're innocent. We will protect you, I promise"

"If you say so. I'm goin' to be dead by sunlight, I can feel it"

"That's not going to happen" Harvey places his hand on her back and guides her out of the room "We will make sure you are safe"

Jim, Harvey and Harleen look up as the lights go out; leaving the ward is placed into complete darkness except for a few lights coming from the buildings outside. Screams can be heard from the lower levels promptly followed by gunshots. Jim pulls out his gun from his holster which Harvey follows as he takes out his handgun "Jim...please tell me those loud shots were just something that we were just hearing and didn't actually happen" Harvey's teeth chatter.

"I'm not quite that old yet" Jim replies as he readies his weapon as he hears footsteps coming close from behind the door of the stairwell "Harvey...run" the commissioner orders as the door to the stairwell was kicked open with several armed men running out, dressed in full-black outfits. Harvey nods as he drags Harleen with him as they run off. One of the armed men aims at Jim. The commissioner was quicker as he shoots the man in the chest; causing the wounded man to fall to the ground.

"Target in sight, she's making a break for it, two additional targets are with her" one of the armed men announce as he taps on his earpiece. Jim sees around three more men empty out of the stairwell as he runs off behind Harvey and Harleen. The armed men begin to fire at him. Jim turns his head while he runs and fires at a few of the men, taking a couple down as he shoots them in the head or the chest area.

"JIM! THESE GUYS ARE FREAKING INSANE!" Harvey yells back to him as they try to outrun the group of men that follow after them.

One of the armed men waves at the others "Orders have been updated. Kill them all, no survivors"

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**The Narrows **

"Come out and stop hiding! You are only delaying inevitable, Batman!" Deadshot calls out to the dark knight as he looks through the scope of his sniper rifle "I have better things to be doing than wasting all this time on killing you. So do me a favour and get the hell out of your cover"

Batman hides behind the desk as he taps the button on his neckpiece "**Alfred, I'm being shot at by a sniper. This is an all-new kind of accuracy. He seems to be good enough to have his bullets bounce off surfaces to hit his targets. I can't get a good look at his position without ending up with a hole in my head**" Batman tells the man of the other end of the line.

_"And what of Black Mask?"_

"**Gone. He must have known that I was coming and had the sniper trap me in this room. Sionis will be long gone by now, my main focus right now is to get past the sniper**" Batman reaches to his utility belt "**Whoever is using that rifle. Since he hasn't hit me through the desk means that he is not using any thermal vision, otherwise he could have killed me by now**" Batman pulls out a smoke pellet "**Here goes something, I guess**" the dark knight hurls the pellet across the room as it let loose several streams of smoke that cover the room.

"Think that you can hide!?" Deadshot shouts down to him.

Batman jumps to his feet and runs out of the room, picking up Black Mask's cell phone on the way. Deadshot's eyes narrow as he sees the silhouette of the dark knight and fires at him, however, Batman jumps through one of the windows; leaving the room. Deadshot quickly stands to his feet and throws the sniper to the ground of the roof "Where did you get off to?" Deadshot questions as he lifts his left arm which had a round gauntlet around his wrist with a red laser that tracks out of it.

Deadshot press his earpiece "Mission update status" he requests as he scans across the rooftops around him.

_"Target in sight, she's making a break for it, two additional targets are with her"_ a voice says on the other end of the line.

"Kill them all, I don't want any witnesses" Deadshot replies as he paces forward as he aims the red laser across the rooftops "Come on out, Batman. I heard that your suit is tough, right? Let's see if it can take titanium rounds. I made them just for you"

From below. Batman squats on a fire escape "**Before I can meet up with Gordon and the others, I need to take out the shooter. I can't risk letting him remain loose in Gotham**" he tells Alfred. Batman pulls out his grapple gun and shoots it and at the building across from him. He is launched forward and quickly grabs the ledge of the roof as the red laser as it orbits around past it. Batman gave a sigh of relief as the laser moves on past "**Titanium rounds will not just shred this suit apart, but me too. Knowing how good his accuracy is...I can't let him see me**"

Batman climbs onto the roof and takes cover behind a vent. Deadshot was a few buildings away, around two or three as he used the red laser to sweep across all around him "I know that you are out there. I know that you are going to try and play it safe, well good luck with that. Sneaking up on me won't be as easy as you think. I went through every part of this plan several times over. Do you think that I was going half-arse a job that was worth fifty million? Don't think so"

Deadshot snaps his fingers "Come on out men. Let's give a really good show" he calls out as several armed men walk out into the rooftops with sniper rifles in hand and with a flashlight on that lit up the area in front of them "You're finished, Batman" Deadshot holds up his right hand into a fist "Remember men, our client wanted to get it done with. No flashy tricks or speeches. He wants Batman dead, and we are going to give him that" Deadshot tells his men.

"Also, Batman. If you think I cheeped out when it came to their ammunition...you will be severely mistaken. They are all carrying titanium rounds too" Deadshot informs Batman as he and the five other men scan through the rooftops "Just come and try taking us out!"

Batman presses the button on his neckpiece "**Alfred. Whoever the shooter is...he has a backup, all carrying titanium rounds. I need to take them out before I can get to him. I can't risk leaving him free to roam Gotham and he knows that**" Batman whispers as he presses a button on his cowl. His vision changes to thermal and in doing so. He sees one of the armed men walking towards where he was hiding **"I need to be careful about that, one wrong move and I'm finished**"

"Where are you, freak? I got a bullet with your name written all over it" the armed man calls out as he turns the corner. Batman swiftly jumps forward and grabs the man's head and rams it into the vent which knocked him out. The clank drawled the attention of Deadshot and the four remaining armed men. Deadshot points the laser in the direction of the sound, Batman quickly jumps back and grabs back onto the ledge. Once his laser passes by the scene, Deadshot presses his earpiece.

"He's a tricky son of a bitch. He must have dropped off the building. All men, use your flashlights to check the ledges" Deadshot orders as he too points his laser at the ledges around him "You think that you're smart? I have killed all kinds of men that thought that they were clever. They tried to outsmart me when they really should be trying to outrun my bullets. The Boss thinks that it will take the lunatics to take you down, he says that they are on your level. But I'm going to show him that a good old bullet is all that is needed to take you down"

"You hear that? You are a dead man walking" one of the armed men yells.

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**Gotham Central Hospital**

"What is goin' on!?" Harleen screams as Harvey drags her along into another ward. They along with Jim Gordon were running away from four men wielding handguns as they quickly follow behind. Harvey was red in the face, Harleen's ankles were starting to hurt from her high heels and Jim ran behind them, occasionally taking a shot or two at the armed men. Either missing them or slightly grazing them with his bullets "I can't keep goin'!" Harleen cries as her breathing was heavy.

"You have to!" Harvey turns his head and fires three rounds at the armed men that were pursuing them; shooting one in the neck and causing them to fall to the ground "Otherwise we are dead!" he adds. He drags Harleen past a corner and into another hallway "Oh you got to be kidding me..." Harvey groans as he is greeted with the sight of flights of stairs at the end of the hallway "Jim! You better do something quick!" he yells at his partner.

"I'm trying!" Gordon shouts back as he turns his head and takes four shots at the three men who were chasing them, hitting one in the leg and another in the arm, one more in the shoulder. The one with the leg injury falls to the ground and yelps in pain. The one who was shot in the arm was slightly knocked off balance, but he remained on their trail. The one who was shot in the shoulder was launched backwards onto the ground as he holds his wound in pain.

Two men were left chasing after them as they took take shots at Jim and the others "You aren't getting away from us!" one of them warns them as they took another shot at Jim and ended up shooting him in his arm. The commissioner winces as he takes his own shot at the man; shooting him in the head and leaving for him to descend to the ground. Jim holds his wounded arm close to his chest as he follows after Harvey and Harleen as they reach the stairs.

Jim quickly turns around and fires one more time at the last guy that was chasing them; firing a bullet right through his heart. The man bleeds from his mouth as he falls onto the ground. Jim takes a deep breath as he looks back to the other two "You alright?" he asks while still gasping for air.

"I think that was the last of them" Harvey's reddened face replies as he walks towards him while holding Harleen's hand "And I don't want to stick around for long enough to be proven wrong. So why don't we get out of here and back to the station where it's safe" Harvey suggests as he runs his spare hand through his sweaty hair "They came here to kill Harleen, you heard them. That means that she can't be in on it, right? They wouldn't come to kill someone who they were working with" he looks to Jim.

"Let's get back to the G.C.P.D and worry about that later" Gordon returns his gun to his holster "They only showed up when we did. Which means that Dent and our other friend could also have been on the receiving end of these guys. We need to get back and make sure that they're alright" the commissioner walks forwards.

Harvey sees the man's wounded arm "That looks nasty, Jim. Let's get that looked at"

"I will...once we get back to the G.C.P.D. They came after Harleen for a reason...which means she must know more than she is letting on" Jim walks down the stairs "I will feel a lot safer when she is in witness protection" he tells Harvey.

"Really? You still don't believe me? They just came in here to kill me! They will find me in the G.C.P.D, that's where they will be lookin' for me!" Harleen protests as she walks down the stairs besides Harvey "I'm goin' to end up dead" she begs the two men as tears drip down her cheeks.

"You'll be fine" Harvey comforts her as helps her down the stairs "We won't let anything bad happen to you"

Harleen takes her glasses off "You can't promise that. You don't know what other things they will do to get to me. For cryin' out loud. They attacked a hospital and killed innocent people. Do you really think that they have a problem with breakin' into the G.C.P.D to kill me? Your friend might think that it's a good idea, but you can't, right?" Harleen begs Harvey as she pulls at his hand "Takin' me to the G.C.P.D right now will be the same as escortin' me to my execution, please...don't take me there..."

"Jim. She's right. We don't nearly have the manpower to take on an assault at the G.C.P.D. Taking her there will just be like handing her over on a silver platter" Harvey protests "There must be somewhere else where we can put her? Somewhere secret, somewhere where no one will know about that"

Jim sighs as he rests his hands on his hips "Even if I agree to that, where are we going to put her? There is a lack of secret places in Gotham that doesn't belong to the criminals" he sees Harleen and Harvey step of the stairs and join him on the ground floor "The only person who would even have access to that is-"

"Bruce Wayne, right?" Harleen asks "You're thinking of Bruce Wayne. He's the only one in this city to have anythin' like that"

"She has a point. Bruce could really be a help. And since we are close to him, I am sure that he would be happy to help us out. We can't take her to G.C.P.D, and most of the city is watched over by the crime bosses. Bruce is our only option" Harvey agrees with the blonde woman.

"You know him? Please, ask him. I don't feel safe out here" Harleen looks at Jim with her blue eyes.

The commissioner tilts his gaze at her "Bruce Wayne is a citizen and is not involved in police matters. It would be immoral and highly irresponsible of me to ask him to get involved in such matters. I could be not only endangering his life but the lives of all those who are closest to him. I don't want that on my conscience. He has nothing to do with this investigation" Gordon shuts Harleen down as he walks towards the exit. Harvey ran after him and stops once he stands in his way.

"You know that Bruce is going to agree to it, don't you?" Bullock comments "You don't want to ask him because we both know that he would agree to it because of his respect for you. We both know that he will, so you are needlessly endangering the life of a woman" the captain of the C.G.P.D adds.

"Intern I will also be needlessly endangering the lives of both her and Bruce's" Jim replies.

"Come on, Jim. Look at her. She has seen all her friends be murdered right in front of her eyes, she has just had several trained men come after to kill her. Just what the hell do you think that they will do next? With those lunatics from Arkham and Blackgate on the loose somewhere...her life is in danger of ending at any moment" Bullock holds his palm over Jim's shoulder "Please, Partner. I have believed in you in times when I shouldn't have and it worked out, I am asking you to do the same for me, please"

"Fine" Jim retorts "But when this bites us in the backside, don't come crying to me"

Both men glare at each other while Harleen secretly grins to herself as she watches the two men argue.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

**The Narrows **

One of the armed men steps near the ledge and uses the flashlight on his rifle to see if Batman was there "Come on out, freak show" the armoured man yells as a shadowy figure drops down behind him. Batman brings his arms around the man and wraps his right hand over his mouth and his left arm around his neck and chokes him out. The man tries to struggle against the vigilante's hold but was silenced as Batman throws him to the ground and stomps on his head with his boot, which left only three armed men along with Deadshot.

Batman moves out of the way and kneels behind a water tower as Deadshot's laser passes by "Report in" Deadshot commands through his communicator.

_"No sign of him, sir"_

_"Yeah, no sign of Batman"_

_"Reporting no sightings of Target"_

"..."

Deadshot's eyes narrow as he only hears three men report in "Damn it, he took out another one! Watch your backs and he may try to sneak up behind you. Don't let him" Deadshot orders as his laser points at the unconscious man "Unless you want to end up like him"

_"Yes sir" one of the armed men responds._

_"Will do" another man replies._

_"On it" the last armed man confirms._

Deadshot walks forward "You must think that you are quite slick, right? Try pulling that shit on me and see how it works out for you" he lifts his left arm and aims at one of the water towers "Of course. Listen up, men. He's using vantage points to get the drop on you. Stay clear of any possible high points. We are not letting this bastard get the best of us. There is fifty million on the line here" Deadshot orders as he turns around and looks at all the vantage points "You can't pull that trick again, Batman. You have to try something original"

"Yeah, Batman. Try and get us now! We know how you work!" one of the armed men spits.

The sane goon quickly turns his head as he sees a bat-shaped metal object land on the ground next to him. He walks towards it and stands beside the floor grates "I have-" the armed man was thrown off balance as Batman jumps out of the grates and grabs his shoulders and rams his head into the goon's which knocked him out. Batman throws him to the floor and quickly takes cover as the attention of Deadshot and the two remaining armed men fall upon their fallen comrade.

"Oh man, he got Tommy!" one of two remaining armed men yell.

"Damn it. He was just ready to retire too!" the other armed man replies.

Deadshot aims his laser at the floor grates "He is making you look like idiots! How hard can it be to take out one man in a fancy suit! He is bringing bare fits to a bloody gunfight! This should be easy money, but you dumbasses keep screwing it up! He used the floor grates! Stay clear of the grates!" Deadshot growls "Keep playing this game of yours, Batman. It's going to be ending soon when I put a bullet between your eyes and I mean that literally AS I NEVER MISS!"

"Oh my god...he's picking us off like we're nothing" one of two remaining armed men waves of panic.

"This is creepy!" the other response.

"Keep your cool! Group up. He'll have no choice but to show himself then" Deadshot orders.

"Uh...Yes, sir" one of the men responds as both he and the other goon stand back-to-back.

"Not much that you can do now, Batman. We know about your tricks, there isn't much else that you can do to take us off guard. Do you think that picking off my men will make me easier for me to be taken out? Sorry, but you're dead wrong! I am the biggest threat here, I have killed hundreds of people who thought that they could outwit me, and look where that got 'em? You may take out the rest of my men, no I am damn right sure that you will, and I will be here to shoot you when you do" Deadshot yells.

"Yeah- what are you planning to do now?" one of the goons speaks up.

"Yeah! Come and try to take us out. We dare you...but uh- feel free, not to...we understand that you a v-very busy man" the other armed man gulps.

Deadshot points his laser around his two armed men "The boss said that you were more trouble than you are worth and considering that there is a fifty million bounty on your head speaks volumes to me. Just what are you doing that made him put such a large sum on your head? I'm not complaining, that just means that I get even more money for my troubles. I'm just curious about how you managed to piss off such a wealthy guy" Deadshot inquires.

The two armed men that stand back-to-back aim their weapons right in front of them as they slowly walk forward a smoke pellet rolls under their feet and let loose multiple streams of smoke that cover the two men who panic. A shadowy figure appears behind them as his eyes narrow. Deadshot turns his head to the sound of gunfire and screams. Bringing his left arm to the direction of the screams. He was shown the sight of his two remaining men now unconscious, bound together with black rope.

"Useless. The bloody lot of you are useless! Looks like I have to finish this myself" Deadshot growls as he begins to pace forward "Come on! Try and take me out! I want to look into your eyes when I kill you. Do you think that you can beat me? I am the best assassin in the world! No one has survived when I have been tasked with taking them out!" Deadshot yells as he turns slowly spins on the ground that he stands on. Using his laser to look for his target "Just try it!"

A moment passes as Deadshot's eyes ease up "Just as I thought. You don't have the ba-" Deadshot was knocked forward as Batman glides into him. Batman then grabs Deadshot's neck and chokeslams him onto the ground. The dark knight then uses his spare hand and punches Deadshot in the face; knocking him out.

Batman stands up as presses his earpiece "**Alfred, the sniper and his men is taken care of. I'm taking him to the G.C.P.D. He knows something about the breakout at Arkham. He says that there is a fifty million dollar bounty on my head**" Batman grabs Deadshot and throws him over his shoulders and walks towards the ledge.

_"Thank goodness. There's that hassle dealt with. He could be a great asset for finding out who was behind this" Alfred comments._

"**Though he's down, I doubt that's the end of it. He is a hired killer and took the contract to kill me. I'm sure that there will be others. Black Mask mentioned something about the operation: Knightfall that will happen in six days. He said that it will be the end of me**" Batman explains.

_"So this whole thing is just to get rid of you after all. Watch your back, Master Bruce"_

"**There's more. Sionis said that the person who planned all this calls himself the Joker. I need to find the Joker within six days before the operation: Knightfall can begin. Sionis was scared of him, I could feel it. He was shaking at the mere mention of the Joker. Whoever he is...he is sure to be the more dangerous than anyone else that I have met. Alfred, run a scan through the G.C.P.D's network. See if there is any mention of this Joker. I'm taking this sniper to the GCPD rooftop for Gordon**" Batman kneels down and brings out a knot of black rope which he ties around Deadshot's arms and legs.

_"On it, Master B. What about Black Mask? I know you better to than just let him go"_

"**I nabbed his phone. I can use it to track Sionis' contacts. Mostly likely will lead me to Sophia Falcone and Tony Zuko. They are the trinity of the underworld, once I take them out; Black Mask will be finished**" Batman replies to Alfred.

"_Oh...Master Bruce, while looking through the G.C.P.D something came up..._" Alfred tells Batman in a worried tone.

"**What is it, Alfred? You're scaring me**"

_"It's Harvey Dent, sir..."_

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

**10: 07 PM**

Bruce Wayne steps into the police department, dressed in a white shirt with an unbuttoned collar and sleeves rolled up. Black trousers with polished boots. Bruce looks around until he sees Harvey Bullock standing near one of the desks. The billionaire walks towards the captain of the station with his arms swaying by his sides. Bruce was wearing a black Rolex watch, one that once was worn by his own father. Bruce could see that the watch caught the eyes of multiple people who were sitting behind the cells.

"Harvey" Bruce greets the captain who returned a saddened look "Please tell me that there has been a mistake. Harvey Dent would never kill anyone. We both know that he has been set up or there has been one giant misunderstanding" the billionaire directs towards the captain.

Harvey Bullock takes his hat off and holds it near his chest "Of course I know that. Jim knows that too. All three of us know that he has ticked off the wrong people, but we just can't let him go without proving his innocence, that will set off all kinds of alarms" the captain agrees with Bruce.

"Come on, Harvey. Anyone with a brain can see that Aubrey James is behind this. He has had it out for Dent since he announced his campaign" Bruce folds his arms, looking at the captain who returns his stare with an unsavoury glance.

"Doubt it. Not even James is this devoted to screwing with his opponents. Dent isn't under suspicion of murdering any regular guy. The Guards walked in on Dent with James dead and his secretary knocked out with quite the shiner. She told us that Dent went crazy and killed the Mayor and almost killed her before the guards arrived. She's agreed to testify" Harvey explains "She even said that he made her play heads or tails for her life"

Bruce gently shakes his head "That's a lie and you know it. There must be security footage of the incident to prove Harvey's innocence"

"With the dubious company that Aubrey kept...you would understand why there weren't any cameras in his office" Bullock sighs as he runs his hands through his hair "Listen, Bruce. I know that you aren't going to give it up and I'll let you know that you have me and Jim to back you here. Just watch your back, they just framed Dent for murder. I can only guess that you are next on their list..." Harvey sits down on the desk "Never liked getting into politics. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole"

"Let me see him. I can get my lawyers on the line. They'll make sure they squash these petty little lies" Bruce tells the captain.

"Listen, Bruce. I will let you see him, but Jim and I need you to help us out with something first-" Harvey asks Bruce who quickly cut him off.

"Done. Just let me see Harvey" Bruce asks once more, this time with less patience.

"Alright, if you say so. He's in questioning with Jim" Harvey Bullock stands to his feet and makes his way towards Jim. Bruce follows after as he moves at a steady pace "Bruce. I hope you understand that Jim and I need to treat this like any other investigation. We need to be fair about this, even if you know that he's innocent. I hope that doesn't bother you. I know that you and Harvey have become close friends through the past few months, I would hate to see you take this more personally than you should" the captain informs Bruce.

"I will keep that in mind when I'm made a suspect for a crime that I clearly didn't commit. Harvey is going to get his innocence proven and then the people who framed him are going to be put behind bars. That is how it's going to go down. They made a mistake in doing this to Harvey and they will regret it" the billionaire grits his teeth.

"Amen on that one, that's for damn sure" Bullock agrees as they now stand in front of the one-way mirror. Bruce's eyes focus on the next room over where Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent sat opposite each other around a table. Dent has handcuffed and had his head lowered towards the table. Jim sits with his arms crossed, looking to Dent.

"Are the handcuffs really necessary?" Bruce glares into the room.

"It's all apart of standard protocol, sorry" Bullock sighs.

From inside the room, Gordon leans forward over the table "Would you like to repeat your statement, Mr Dent. I'm sorry about this, but this is all apart of the routine. Please go over what happened again" the commissioner asks with his left arm in a sling, held to his chest.

"I understand" Harvey acknowledges with a defeated tone of voice "As I said before. I went into that office to confront Mayor James just as we planned. I asked him about what he knew about the breakout and he suddenly started to get weird. He told me to keep my voice down and he started to come clean..." Dent confesses.

"Then what happened?" Jim asks.

"His secretary shot him. She said that he knew the *rules* and then shot him in the head. She then pointed the gun and me...and I had no choice. I had to punch her to save my own life" Dent finishes as he keeps his head low "Yes I did use my coin, but only as a distraction. That's all. Then the security team came in and saw me, they must have thought that I did it"

The commissioner nods gently "The secretary. She said that she heard gunfire and then walked in on you after you shot Mayor James. She told me that you punched her and threatened her life, she noted that you said something about James being *Too corrupted that he was beyond saving*. Are you telling that she is lying?" Jim inquires of the other man.

"Jim, how can you say that? I would never do such a thing" Dent asks as he sounds disheartened by Jim's claims.

"Sorry, Harvey. I have to ask you these questions, it's a part of questioning" the commissioner had a bad taste in his mouth from even talking to the man like he was guilty. Gordon reaches over with his right arm and hold's Dent's shoulders "You didn't do this. We know that Harvey knows that and I'm sure that Bruce does too. He has the most faith in you. Please, just play along with this in the meantime. You should have nothing to worry about" he reassures Dent.

"Okay, I understand" Harvey lifts his head to look at Jim "Yes, she is lying. She is working for someone. She said that whoever she works for knew that I was coming there. She knew that I was on my way. She was planning to kill me there, and when Mayor James started to confess...she killed him as well. She must have figured that if she couldn't kill me, she could frame me for his murder. That must be it. Listen, Jim. I recorded my whole conversation with Aubrey even after she shot him" Dent reveals.

"You have evidence of your innocence? That's great. Where is it?" Gordon asks Dent.

"Your boys in blue took it" Dent swiftly replies.

"I didn't give the orders to search you" Jim responds bewildered by the information.

"Oh, what a surprise. You can't control your men. The G.C.P.D has corrupted cops in it, same old, same old. And thanks to that, I might as well throw away my freedom because you can't control your own men" Harvey growls as he slams the desk in a fit of rage; causing Jim to jump out of his seat. A couple of moments passed, Harvey's looks at his fist and was in shock at his outburst. He softly shakes his head and looks up at Jim "I'm sorry...I'm just tired of the corruption in this city always screwing over its good people"

Gordon nods to the man "Listen, Harvey. If what you said is true then my own men will be trying to frame you too. They could do anything that will make you look guilty. They could plant your fingerprints all over the evidence, they could falsify witness reports. And if they are in even higher places; they could even affect your judgment" Jim closes his eyes "This has to be the same work of the people behind the breakouts. It has to be, there is no other way"

"You're saying that I'm done for, aren't you?" Dent drops his head onto the table "All I did was try to stand up for Gotham and look where I am now..."

"They haven't won, Harvey! We will not let them win. I will find out who did this to you and make them pay and you will be there to send them off to prison" the commissioner encourages the man, but to no avail as Dent still plants his head on the table "Me, Harvey, Bruce and our other friend in the shadows will have your back, no matter what" Jim plants his fist on the table "So you don't you dare give up on us!" he orders Dent who slowly lifts his head.

"...You're right..." Dent sighs.


	17. Encore

**Encore **

* * *

**2 Days Later**

**8: 07 AM**

**[FOUR DAYS UNTIL OPERATION: KNIGHTFALL]**

"Batman took out Deadshot just like you said he would. Tell me, how can you know Batman so well to predict his every move?" Hug Strange inquires as he walks beside a ghost white man that was dressed in a purple shirt and green waistcoat. Professor Strange was wearing a black suit under a white lab coat. He turns his head towards the ghoulish man that walks beside him "You appear to be very well acquainted with him, I almost feel a sense of familiarity between you two" Strange observes.

Joker gives one of his signature grins that was accentuated more by the red lipstick over his lips. He slides his palms together, rubbing them as he sniggers "I prefer the phrase *kindred spirits*. I told our friend that the assassin wouldn't be able to get the job done; it was so...boring, and boring is predictable. Batman saw right through it and had little trouble taking him out. The only thing that can kill Batman is something, even more, crazier than him, and luckily I'm just that" the disfigured man taps his scalp "You can't outsmart him, we need to upstage him"

Strange holds his arms behind his back as he too gives a light smirk "Operation: Knightfall will commence in four days. More accurately eighty-eight hours. Once it begins, even Batman will be helpless to stop us. You are quite clever. You thought of this, you planned for it and it has proven to stump him"

"Don't underestimate him. He will figure it out before Knightfall can begin. We need something to distract him" Joker replies as both he and Hugo Strange stand in front of a lab door that was sealed with a security panel "We need someone to not only distract him but the whole of Gotham"

"I see" Hugo slants down and presses the keypad, entering a four-digit code "I believe that I have the perfect solution to this problem of ours. During my time at Arkham, I devised a way to make cloning of human life possible. I recreated several individual and after they broke out we managed to catch a few of them. One might catch your attention. The cloning process is highly unstable and all the known clones have died, we had to put the remaining ones on ice to slow down the decomposer process" the lab door slides open and the two men walk in.

Joker's eyes focus on a cooling unit at the end of the room "Interesting..." he laughs as he rubs his hands together in excitement. He paces forward and walks towards the unit "Oh this will do! Oh this will do quite nicely, yes it will..." his blood-red lips curve as he presses his left palm against the glass "Now this is my idea of a family reunion,...brother" he chuckles as he looks to a shirtless man with orange hair that was frozen in the unit "I hope he'll love it..."

[**Wayne** **Manner: 1: 34 PM**]

"Master Bruce, I do hope that what's going on with Mr Dent won't change the fact that you have a bunch of loonies to track down. Harvey is indeed a friend, but don't lose sight of the real threat to this city at the moment" Alfred reminds Bruce. The billionaire, dressed in a black turtleneck shirt and dark-blue jeans gives a nod towards his words. Bruce's hair was combed back with a few strands falling on his forehead. He puts on his messenger bag and looks to Alfred.

"I know, Alfred. Lately, it feels like both Bruce and Batman can't catch a break. There's always something else that pops up right after I think I have made progress. I haven't lost track of this mission. Knightfall, I need to stop it before it has the chance to start, I only have four days to do so, otherwise who knows what will happen" Bruce replies in a monotone voice, clearly tired with bags under his eyes "I'm going to see Talia, Hopefully, she might have dug up some useful information"

"Hold on, master Bruce. You haven't slept for days now. You can hardly keep your eyes open and contrary to popular belief, coffee can only do so much. You should take a kip for a few hours" Alfred advises the other man who rubs his eyes.

"I'm fine, Alfred. I don't feel like resting until I stop Knightfall" Bruce trots out of the room with Alfred following close behind "I spent all last night looking for Black Mask's partners and I came up with nothing. Someone must have known that I would have used Sionis' phone to track them. Whoever is behind this...is on a completely new level than anyone that I have ever faced before. I will feel a whole lot better once they are behind bars" he continues.

"I respect your conviction, sir. But what good will that do if you are too bloody tired to even throw a punch? Surely you can call in a favour from one of your *super* friends, Master Bruce" Alfred suggests as he and Bruce stop at the front door "Even though the guy from metropolis may not be able to help out at the moment, there is still Talia and miss Kyle. I think that they would gladly assist you in this ordeal. You don't have to do this alone, Bruce. There is even someone in Bludhaven who could be of some help"

"I'm not putting Selina in harm's way of these lunatics, Talia is working undercover and can't risk exposing herself, and Thomas shouldn't be pulled back into Gotham. Being used a weapon is what made him that way in the first place" Bruce replies as he grabs the doorknob "As much as I want to help out Harvey...I can't risk any distractions. Batman needs the time to do-" Bruce pulls open the door and was greeted with the sight of Harvey Bullock and a blonde woman. Bullock had his fist up like he was about to knock before Bruce opened the door.

"Bullock? What a...surprise and uh...miss...?" Alfred straightens his stature "I didn't know that we would be having your company today"

Harvey raises one eyebrow "Bruce didn't tell you?"

"Uh...I didn't tell him what?" Bruce asks dazed as he slants his head in confusion.

Harleen, dressed in a purple sweater and hair tied in a ponytail holds out her hand to him "Hi, I'm your new housemate. I look forward to gettin' to know you" she chirps. Bruce bats his eyes at a lost for words as he sees the blonde woman smile, he recognized her as Harleen Quinzel, though he couldn't let her and Harvey know that he did. The billionaire still remains silent for seconds, but the time dragged on for what feels like an eternity.

"Pardon?" he asks.

"No, my name is Harleen" the blonde smiles as she grabs his hand and begins to aggressively shake it, not out of malice but out of nervous energetic state "Thanks for agreein' to let me live here for the meantime. I really appreciate this. I'll make sure to stay out of trouble...so when's breakfast? I am famished, do you do pancakes, I could really do with some pancakes " she smiles.

"Pardon?" Bruce repeats himself, this time in an even more addled tone.

* * *

_**Encore**_

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

Harvey Dent walks with his hands handcuffed from the front while Jim Gordon and two other officers follow behind him. Jim gives a worried look to Dent "You are going to get out of this. Harvey and I will not rest until we clear your name" the commissioner promises "We were getting close to something big, I can feel it. Once you are a free man again, we will hunt down the son of the bitch who did this to you. You're a good man, Harvey. I appreciate you playing along with this"

"It's all over the news, Jim. The whole of Gotham thinks that I am a murderer. Even if we find some way to prove my innocence...my campaigned is ruined. They will have the thought of me being a murderer in the back of their heads. The damage is already done, Jim" Dent keeps his eyes facing the ground as speaks with a depressed tone "There is no footage, no eyewitnesses - my recording of the whole thing was taken away by your men...I'm finished"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. If anyone deserves to be Mayor of this city...it's you, Harvey. The people who did this know that you are a threat to them, our *friend* left us a present on the roof last night. I say it's time I open it. I will find out who did this" Gordon guides his hand to Dent's shoulder "You are going to get through this. The good people of Gotham know that you didn't do it and they will have your back" both men approach the lockup cells.

"What about Bruce? I can't imagine that this publicity can be good for him. The press is probably dragging his name through the mud just as much as mine. I would understand if he wanted to disassociate with me. I can't blame him either" Harvey mutters.

"You know Bruce better than that. He sticks by his friends. He's not giving up on you, and neither am I. Bullock transported Harleen to Wayne Manner, he thinks that she will be safe there. Let's hope that he's right" Gordon opens the door to the cell "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I don't have a choice. Just relax here until I come back, hopefully, I can get the information that I need out of the shooter" the commissioner steps aside and Harvey Dent walks into the cell, still looking at the ground. Jim goes for the door of the cell, looking right at Harvey.

"Jim, please do this by the book. If we are going to save Gotham...we can't lower ourselves to their level. If we do this, I want to do legally" Dent requests to which Jim nods.

"You got it"

[**Ten Minutes Later...**]

"Floyd Lawton a.k.a Deadshot...you are a wanted man" Jim slams his hand on the table while his left arm was secured in a sling "You tried to kill Batman, send your men to kill me and my friends at Gotham central. Why did you do it?" he spits. Floyd Lawton, a Latino man with dirty blonde hair that parts over the sides of his face to under his ears with specks of facial hair around his chin and under his nose where looks it looks like he hasn't shaven for a few weeks. Nothing remarkable about his appearance, nothing that you make you glance twice in his direction if you were to pass by him on the streets.

"I'm not telling. You're wasting your time little piggy" Floyd uncaringly responds as he tries to lifts his hands that were chained to the table.

"And you're testing my patience" the commissioner circles around Floyd and the table "We looked you up, Lawton. You are suspected of hundreds of assassinations. There are a lot of people who love to get their hands on you. Police and crime lords alike. So I suggest that you tell me who hired you and what they are planning before I have your ass shipped off to one of those people who won't be as friendly as me" Gordon circles around the man once again.

"Didn't you get me? I said get lost pig cuz I'm ain't telling you jack shit and jack has already taken the last train out of town to see your mother, I hear that they have a very intimate relationship" Floyd leans back in his chair as he looks to Jim "Listen, you got heart and that's good; means I have an easy target to shoot when I eventually come and kill you, but that doesn't mean that having heart is a bad thing. But, I'm not squalling, what are you going to do? Throw me into the slammer? Scary...that would be if I don't have the threat of death looming over me" Floyd smirks "Whatever you think that you can do to me...my employer will do even worse"

Gordon leans over the table, resting both of his fists on it as he glares to Floyd "Do you really want to test that?"

"Try me" Floyd nonchalantly dares the commissioner.

"So that's how you're going to play it?" Gordon stands straight "With the pending charges against you, I can make it that you will never see the light of day again. With every murder you ever did, every law that you have broke, I can put you in Blackgate for life and can even have the guards and prisoners there make what little of a life that you will have there a nightmare, a hell for you, and when you are thrown back into your cell after the umpteenth beating that you will get for a quick break between that hell, you will be shaking in your covers, broken and wondering why you didn't do the smart thing and just tell me what I wanted to know" the commissioner threatens.

"No deal" Floyd shakes his head "You can't scare me pig"

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

"So Miss Quinzel will be staying with us now apparently" Alfred grits his teeth as he places a silver tray on a wooden table placed between the couches "I must say. I am surprised that you would think keeping Miss Quinzel here is at all a good idea" the butler directs towards Bullock as he pours tea into the blonde's cup "After you believe that the same people that came after her may be linked to the people behind Mr Dent's problem"

Harvey rubs his nose and leans forward "Everywhere else in this city is watched by the crime bosses who want her head on a silver platter. I know that I am asking a lot here, but Bruce said that he was for it" bullock reasons with Alfred and Bruce.

"I thought you were going to ask for money to improve the department. I didn't think you would bring a suspect to my house. If I knew what you were going to ask, I wouldn't have just replied with a yes" Bruce tells Harvey "With all due respect, Captain. Alfred and I don't have time to babysit her. I am busy trying to get Dent's name cleared and Alfred is meant to be overseeing side projects for Wayne Enterprise. Neither of us will be home enough to keep an eye on her at a reliable basis" the billionaire sits on the couch opposite Harvey and Harleen.

Harleen adjusts her glasses "Mr Wayne, I understand that you are a very busy man. But I don't need you to keep on eye on me to see if I am behavin' myself" Harleen crosses her legs over and points to her right ankle where the small device was strapped around it "Because they made sure that they could keep track of me at all times. I kinda feel it's way too much, but I have nothin' to hide from them. They just need me to stay put here until they can sort this whole thing out - you won't even notice me, I swear"

"But I bloody will" Alfred mutters under his breath.

Bruce rests his hands in his lap "Just speaking hypothetically, how long would she need to stay here?"

"I don't have exactly know. Just until we are sure that her life is no longer in danger, it could be days, weeks maybe even months. All I know is that I need you to help us out here, please. No one knows that she's here, it's remote. It's perfect for her"

"Too perfect" Bruce thinks to himself. He lifts his head, looking to Harleen "Fine. I'll have Alfred prepare one of the guest bedrooms"

"You're having me do what sir?" Alfred laughs before his eyes narrow "Oh...you're being serious, aren't you?"

"Harvey's right. We need to keep an eye on her, Alfred. Harleen could be the only way to find out what is going on" Bruce stands to his feet "Listen, she can stay here. But I expect her to follow the rules of the manner. Now if you would excuse me, I have a meeting to attend. Feel free to stay as long as you like, Harvey" Bruce puts his messenger bag back on and heads out of the room with Alfred following after him in a hurry. The grey-haired man stops Bruce in his tracks.

"Hold on, Master B. You are aware that if Harleen is to stay here; your access to the Batcave will be practically non-existent. You can't risk her finding out who you are, especially if your assumptions about her are correct and that she is apart of the breakout and somehow involved in this Knightfall operation" Alfred stresses.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. There is more than one entrance to the Batcave. Keeping her here will be good for us. Because if she is involved with all of this, she will have to slip up sooner or later. She is being watched by the G.C.P.D and us. She won't be able to hide for long. And if she's innocent; we are saving her life. It's a win-win situation" Bruce explains as he heads towards the front door "Just keep an eye on her, at a distance"

"Don't worry about that sir. I was already planning on keeping my distance" Alfred retorts.

"I'm off to meet Talia. She is going to be pissed at me being late. She would try and kill me if she thought that I stood her up" Bruce lets Alfred know.

"Going on a date our we?" teased Alfred as he holds his arms to his chest.

"No" Bruce replies as he opens the door and walks out "It's not a date. I'll let you know if she learned anything new" Bruce shouts as walks down the concrete steps. Alfred closes the door behind Bruce and sighs loudly as he hears Harleen's voice coming from all the way back in the living room. He brushes off his suit and heads back towards the sound of the voice with a face of thunder.

"I think I have had enough stress for now" Alfred thinks to himself.

From outside the Manner. Bruce brings out his car keys and presses it. The headlights of a dark blue Ferrari light up as Bruce walks towards it "I sure hope that Talia isn't mad. I already have enough people trying to kill me" Bruce slides into the car. Driving off out of the gate and leaving the grounds. From outside of the black gate that walls off the manner. A figure dressed in a grey hoodie looks at the car drive off only to then turn his attention to the Mention.

A dark chuckling comes from the man as he removes his hood. The ginger man's lips curve into a grin as he holds his palms against the gate. Jerome's eyes turn to one of the windows on the first floor of the mansion where he recognized Bruce's butler "You sure have grown up, Brucie. So that leaves one question...what the hell happened to me?" he asks "Oh well who cares. I say I make up for my lost time...time to raise some hell" Jerome laughs as he claws at his own face "Oh...this is going to be fun!" he presses his face against the bars of the gate.

* * *

**2: 05 PM**

Bruce walked through the streets of Gotham, this time remembering to dress more casual to decrease the amount of attention that he would receive, though that didn't stop a few people from looking at him in a way that made him feel almost alien. He finds it hard to believe that the same streets that he walked on that were full of people just going about their life was the same ground all those years ago when Gotham was in its darkest hour, a hopeless dream.

Bruce snaps back to reality when sees Talia not far from him, she was sitting in one of the tables that resided outside a restaurant or maybe it was a café. Bruce really didn't know how they worked. He waves over to the woman, knowing full well that she did not welcome his lateness. She flicks her hair and points to the empty seat that was placed opposite of her own. Bruce knew that she was not happy with him, something that is starting to become a trend between the two of them.

Bruce saw that Talia was in a black fitting dress, something that worked too well on her. If there was one thing he could be certain about the woman, he knew that she was beautiful, gorgeous even. It was hard for him to imagine that Ra's helped create such a prepossessing creature such as Talia. Bruce mentally slaps himself as he suddenly realizes the thoughts that he was having of her "I need to get it together" Bruce reminds himself as he exhaustion was catching up to him a lot faster than earlier.

Talia flicks her hair back as she sips from a wine glass. A smile forms on her face as sees Bruce sit in the empty seat opposite her "Usually when a guy asks me out on a date, I expect to not have to buy my own drink" she gives a playful wink.

"This isn't a date, Talia. I need to know what you have found out on the people responsible for all of this" Bruce quickly dismisses that notion.

"Forget about breaking the ice, you just caused an avalanche" Talia rolls her eyes as rests her arms on the table "I told you that it is going to take time. I can't just go around knocking on people's doors until I find out who did it. It's a very delicate process and involves more than just threatening and beating up criminals...which is why it's really, really boring" the dark-haired woman crosses her legs over and slants forward, sipping from her glass.

"You must have come up with something, please. Talia, you have to know something that would help. Whoever is behind the breakout...they framed my friend for a murder that he didn't do. You have to know something, something that I can use" Bruce begs Talia who lifts one of her eyebrows.

"You must be talking about Dent. Ah yes, I heard about that. The self-titled light for Gotham. Bruce, you seriously did not think that the underworld of Gotham would just let a man like Dent just waltz about and threaten them without them firing back? What did you think was going to happen?" Talia questions the man.

"You're right, I should have seen this coming. Just tell me you have some way to help prove Dent is innocent" Bruce asks the woman.

"Love, I know that you are desperate to help your friend. I get it. But you can't expect me to solve all your problems. I helped heal you when you were going to go after my sister with the wound of yours, I gave you a heads up about the threat coming to Gotham and now you expect me to go out of my way to help a person that I have never met? You have a lot of faith in me even though you treat me like I'm your enemy" Talia observes as she smiles.

"I know how I treat you is wrong, I'm sorry" Bruce apologizes.

"No. You're only sorry when it benefits you. You couldn't care less about me. I'm just a tool for you to use to get what you want" she leans back in her chair and picks up her drink "You only care about me when you think that I can give you something. I'm sorry, but I have nothing worth value to give you. Dent ticked off the wrong people and they didn't like that. Or maybe...he really did kill the Mayor. They were known to have quite the history" Talia remarks.

"Harvey is not a killer. He's the shining example for Gotham. He would never take a life...he doesn't have that kind of darkness in him" Bruce detests the woman's words.

Talia reaches her hand over and places it over Bruce's own "Or is that what you want yourself to think that, Bruce. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow, you should know that better than anyone else. I hate seeing you like this, but I dislike lying to you just as much. Maybe Harvey doesn't know or remember that he did it, maybe he does believe that story of his, but you tell me, Bruce. What would you do if it is true that he did do it?"

"It won't come to that. I know he didn't do it, I know that he didn't" the billionaire takes his hand out from under the woman's own.

"Were you there? Did you see the footage? Did you hear it? Face it, Bruce, you having to go off of but Harvey's word. I don't want him to actually have done it, that would hurt you. Trust me, I don't want that for you. But I don't want you to be fooled by your own misguided need to believe in people while you are not willing to place your trust in them. You want to believe Harvey, I know you do. But deep down you too are questioning the validity of his words, the part of you that matters the most to you...your own darkness" Talia brushes her hair behind her right ear "I hope that I'm wrong, you truly believe in him. Just make sure that whatever happens...you will do what is right"

"I'll do what is best for Gotham" Bruce tiredly replies.

"What about what is best for you? Bruce, you're human like the rest of us. No matter how hard you try to hide your feelings...your cracks will eventually show and if you aren't careful, you will break" Talia warns Bruce as she sips her wine. Bruce's eyes look at the glass.

"What is it with my exes all suddenly becoming alcoholics?" Bruce asks.

"Well...you are the common denominator" Talia teased with a smile "I'll look into it. If that friend of yours was framed...there's bound to be someone who knows who did it"

"Thanks, Talia. I mean it"

"A thank you?" Talia rolls her eyes in a playful manner "You know in all my years of knowing you...I have never had you thank me, not even in our most intimate times and there was plenty of those" her once playful smile slowly turns from sweet to a salacious nature, her green eyes glimmer with the look that she gave him plenty of times before, a look that Bruce knew all too well. Bruce couldn't be sure if it was his exhaustion that bent his mind to miss their olds times, or if he was really feeling such emotions towards the league of shadows' leader, the same ones that they once shared for each other.

"You look tired, Bruce. Maybe you should take a night off of your...patrols. I know that you are being overwhelmed by the gravity of the threat closely heading to Gotham, but you being exhausted won't help for when Gotham is eventually put on the edge. I wish that I could help you, but that is not my role. I have to work behind the scenes, watch you and see if you are ready for your role of leading the shadows with me. Soon this city will be at the mercy of those lunatics, you may be on your own, my love" Talia sheepishly tells the man sat opposite her.

"I'm never leading the Shadows. The sooner you realize that the easier you will get over it." Bruce forewarns her.

"My father used to say that the greatest of leaders are not those of whom that are born into greatness , but those of whom who seek it out" she speaks with imperiousness "Sometimes when it comes to one's calling...you never know when you will answer it. My father had great plans for you, believe it or not, he admired you like an equal once he saw who you would become"

"Well...your father was also one crazy bastard" Bruce disputes her words.

"I never said that he was perfect; there's a couple of bones that I would like to pick with him, yet again not everyone's father can be a beloved man adored by millions like yours" Talia shoots back with a solemn smile as she finishes her drink. She rests her glass on the table "Let's do this again, Bruce. I will let you know if I find something, though I may just call you to talk. I missed your brooding" she chuckles, leaning back, she glances at Bruce "There is no one else that can brood as well as you can"

"Thanks. I've been practising" Bruce's tooth-full smug grin greets her own smile "Talia..., I know I have been treating you like a hostile ever since you got to this city, and you coming into my party and attacking me sure didn't help that" Bruce chuckles.

"Okay, I will be the first to admit. I may have gone too far with that. We could've talked it out, but what would have been the fun in that? I'm a work hard, play hard kinda gal. Luckily for me, those two usually align together on regular intervals quite nicely. Though...I'm sorry about punching you in the face and putting you in the hospital, it was the only way to keep you from going off and getting yourself killed" Talia explains as she lifts an eyebrow.

"You left me as bait for the Talon, you knew that he couldn't resist coming after me" Bruce leans forward and gives a small smile.

"Oh, love. I was there waiting for him to show and I would have gotten ridden of him if it wasn't for your good pal the Commissioner pointing a gun at me. I would never put your life in danger, unless that I was absolutely certain that there would be no risk of you actually dying" she softly kicks her legs forward "Whatever happened to the Talon? Nyssa was carried off to face justice for her crimes, yet you allowed the Talon to walk free, even though he helped kidnapped your friends, killed my men and almost killed you. It makes a girl wonder...just who is this Talon?"

"He's..." Bruce looks away from the woman for a split second "He's under my care. I wasn't going to hand him over to the shadows to be executed"

"Who said anything about killing him? He's a criminal, Bruce. I thought you made it your mission to combat them, but once again, you let another criminal walk free. First, you choose the company of a serial thief who has killed before, you let the Talon leave a free man, and you slept with me: the leader of the most dangerous group of people in the world. For someone who preaches his morals, you sure do contradict yourself a lot, I would even say that your hypocrisy proves that you aren't on a noble quest to rid this city of crime, but to just let loose your true nature" Talia observes as her jade green eyes reflect the uncertainty in the man's face.

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

Annoyed. Peeved. Irritated. Anguish. Bothered. Hopelessness. Alfred's head flooded with those thoughts as he hears Harleen call out to him from all the way in the living. Alfred was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables on the board as he uses a knife to cut the red and green peppers with a small pile of onions and two balls of garlic off by the side "Remember no meat! I'm a vegetarian!" Harleen yells from a large distance between them.

Alfred rocked a face of thunder and slams the knife down to cut the peppers "She's only been here for a few hours and she's already acting like I'm her butler. What a load of rubbish" he mumbles to himself as he scoops up the chopped pieces of the peppers and pours them into a pan "Either she is really good at playing dumb or she is just a total mug, or maybe both" the grey-haired man picks up the balls of garlic and rests them on the board.

"Master B is going to owe me big time" Alfred chops at the garlic. His ears pricked as he hears a scream come from the living room. He swiftly turns his head and let go of the knife. He hurries towards the scream's origin, pulling out his handgun from his holster.

Entering the room, Alfred sees a distress Harleen swiping a golf club at a dark-haired woman that was standing in front of the open window to the room "Selina? Bloody hell you frightened the life out of me just now" the butler wheezes as he returns his gun to his holster under his blazer. Selina shrugs, dressed in a black tank top and jeans with a black leather jacket zipped up. She looks to the blonde who was still swinging the club, almost like she thought that it would scare her off "We have a door, Selina. Don't be shy...it's for everyone to use"

Selina's eyes eased up as she slivers her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Her sudden movement made the charm on the choker around her neck jingle. Her dark eyeshadow and mascara heightened her soft features, her green eyes reinforce her posture, standing on the spot as she fidgets, slightly twisting her upper body, tapping her heel against the ground. The slow and precise breaths that she takes slightly pump out her chest outward and inward.

"Sorry Alfred, I saw the window and it made me start thinking of old times. I came here to see Bruce, but I didn't know that he would be having a guest over" Selina looks to Harleen who had ceased rattling the club. She drops it to the floor. Her baby blue eyes meet Selina's hardened green irises.

"Actually. Me and Mr Wayne are not involved romantically. I'm here because someone sent a group of armed men to kill me, and this seems to be the only place where they won't be able to find me" Harleen smiles "Sorry about the club..."

"Please, princess. Bruce had a bad experience a long time ago that would have put him off blondies for life...so you have no chance" Selina turns her head to the grey-haired man while Harleen drops her smile "Anyway, if Bruce isn't here; can you give him a message for me, Alfred?"

"Of course, Miss Kyle. What shall I be relaying to him this time?" Alfred walks towards her with his arms behind his back.

"Bruce offered me a job at Wayne Enterprise a couple of days ago" Selina reveals as she bites her bottom lip.

"Did he now? And you came all this way just to decline his offer in person?" Alfred struts forward "I understand that work-life at Wayne Enterprise will not be to your liking. I'm sure that Bruce will take no offence to you declining of his offer"

Selina bats her eyes "Actually...I was hoping that Bruce was here so I could accept his offer and that we could go over the details. It may sound boring, but that's because it's normal and I have had a lack of that in my life lately"

"Well...ain't today full of surprises" Alfred replies astonished "I'll be sure to pass the news onto Bruce. He will be happy to know that he will be personally welcoming the newest member of Wayne Enterprise" he gives a smile to Selina.

"By the way. Where did he get off to?" Selina asks.

"Oh...he had some business that he had to deal with" Alfred stops himself from mentioning anything about the real reason why Bruce went off "He will be back later. You are more than welcome to stay...I wouldn't mind the company" Alfred awkwardly urges her.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm here to keep you company, darlin'" Harleen adjusts her glasses as she responds.

"Please" Alfred snappily begs.

"Sorry, I would love to stay, this was just supposed to be a quick visit. Barbara wanted me at the little one's birthday party" Selina replies as she heads back towards the window.

"Hold on, her birthday already happened" Alfred lifts a finger but Selina had already left through the window "Oh bloody hell" he curses as he rests his hands on his hips. Harleen tip-toes next to him and pats him on the pack which drew an annoyed look from him.

"Don't feel lonely, I'm still here" Harleen tries to cheer him up.

"I feel better already" Alfred replied in an heavy-hitting tone flavoured with sarcasm.

"See. What did I tell you?" she smiles, obviously not catching the man's sarcastic push back. Alfred grits his teeth, holding back every harsh word that he wanted to hurl her way. He eventually begins to passive-aggressively nod to her, another sign that she didn't seem to pick up on. It made Alfred wonder how she even becomes a psychologist in the first place. Harleen puckers up to a bigger smile "So...those are the type of girls that Bruce is into...he has...a unique taste. Bruce wouldn't happen to be seeing another woman that he has a romantic interest in, would he?"

"How did you?" Alfred tensed.

Harleen taps the side of her scalp "I could see it all over you when you had the moment of pause towards the girl. You obviously stopped yourself from disclosing information that has hurt her feelings, and since she came here to see Bruce, I figured it would be about another woman, one that Bruce has feelings for. From your hesitance, I could tell that Selina must know this woman too, maybe she has a bit of jealousy towards her? From Selina's sense of uneasiness in this place even though she said that she has come here before, must mean that something happened to strain her trust for Bruce, did he choose this mysterious woman instead of her?" Harleen intrudes far more than Alfred thought that she has the right to.

"As if I would tell you" Alfred retorts.

"That display of defensiveness told me all that I need to know" Harleen comments, turning her head to look at him "So...about my chilli? When can I expect it? I am famished"

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

Gordon and Harvey Bullock sit opposite a petite blonde woman who had her head low "I know that you are going through a lot, but we need you to go over what happened at the Mayor's office, please don't leave out any key details. If you are telling the truth, we need all that we can go on" Harvey was mindful in his tone as he sees the melancholic woman return a weak nod to show that she understands his request. She slightly lifts her head, but still not near making eye contact with them.

"Okay" she nearly whispers.

Gordon takes it from there "Can you please start by stating your name, your occupation and then go over what happened there that night" he presses the record button on the voice recorder that was on the table next to him "When you are ready"

"My name is Helen Naux, I work- worked as James Aubrey's personal assistant, I usually just took his calls and arranged for his appointments" the blonde clearly says "And I saw Harvey Dent kill Mayor James" she adds as her voice slightly took a more weak tone.

"Did you see him kill the Mayor?" Jim questions.

Helen places her hands together "When he showed up he barged into Aubrey's office, even when I told him that he couldn't, he still did. James told me to leave them alone so I did - If I knew what was going to happen, I would have called security myself" she stiffens up "A couple of minutes passed, I had returned to my desk since I thought they were just going to argue - that happened a lot. Sure things usually got heated between them, but they never ended up hurting each other..."

"So what happened?" Jim follows up.

"I heard Dent starting to yell some strange things, like how he was going to get rid of Aubrey's corruption, and how he thought that he was connected to the breakout at Arkham. I thought that it was just standard stuff for them. Dent would throw accusation after accusation at the Mayor. The Mayor would kick him out, only to repeat the process another day, but then I heard gunfire" Helen start to shake in fear as she relived the moment "I ran into the office to see Mayor James with a hole in his chest and Dent standing with a gun in his hand. Dent had this...crazy look in his eyes...he then shot the Mayor in the head and looked at me"

"What happened after that?" the commissioner inclines towards the woman.

"He pointed the gun at me and said that I was just as guilty as Aubrey. He brought out a coin and told me that we were going to play a game for my life. I made a break for the gun, but he punched me, he knocked me out. By the time that I came too...Dent was already taken away by the GCPD" Helen lifts her head to reveal that she had a black-eye on the right side of her face "I thought that he was going to kill me...he's a monster. He needs to be locked up" she hollows.

"If we can prove your claim, then we will lock him up" Harvey reassures her. Standing up, Jim stops the recording and heads out of the room with Bullock following behind. They both step behind the one-way-mirror and look to each other. Harvey was the first to speak up "Jim, I know that you think Dent is innocent and I'm with you on that, but you can't deny that this woman must have the makings of a top-notch actress to come across as convincingly as she did" Bullock comments which brought about a fowl look on the commissioner's face.

"You think that she's telling the truth?" Gordon asks, obviously bewildered by his partner's deducing of the situation.

Harvey takes off his hat and ruffles his hand through hair "I'm saying that we need to look into her claims of Dent's guiltiness equally as we are looking for his innocence. I know Dent would never do anything as crazy as that, but maybe I don't know him as well as I think. I do believe in Dent, I know you do too and even Bruce. He has the most faith in him out of anyone in this city, but that doesn't mean that Dent is innocent. It just means that we are holding on to that ideal version of him" Bullock confesses which draws even more suspicion from Gordon.

"Harvey...you have been acting strangely recently. First, you trust Harleen with all the evidence stacked between her and agreed to let her stay at Bruce's home; putting him in possible danger too. Then you are now trusting this woman when the gun that was fired didn't have Dent's fingerprints on it and that no one else reported the yelling that Helen heard" the Commissioner tries to reason with Bullock who gave a stiff shrug of his shoulders.

"Maybe Dent used the gun with a cloth or something and Helen got her fingerprints on the gun when she tried to grab it" Harvey argues as he places his hat back on his head "I'm perfectly fine, I'm thinking about things in an open mind and just doing my job. You need to trust me, Jim. When have I ever let you down?" Harvey rests a hand on Gordon's shoulder "If Dent is innocent, I will be with you when we catch the son of a bitch that framed him, but if he is guilty...I will be there to arrest him and you better be by my side if that happens" Bullock adds.

"Deadshot is being transported to Blackgate later for holding until his trial. I will go and make sure his transfer goes off without a hitch" the commissioner walks off and leaves Harvey with Helen alone. Harvey rests his hands on his hips and sighs. He walks into the room to greet Helen's gaze.

"What did you talk about?" Helen asks nervously.

Harvey grins "He gone. I think he is actually buying it" the man chuckles with a dark glare "Everything is going to plan. Our employer will be pleased, the good old commissioner still thinks that I am his friend: Captain Bullock"

* * *

**Wayne Manner**

Harleen Quinzel lays in a bath full of bubbles and steam with the biggest smile on her face. Her right leg with the ankle monitor was hanging out of the tub. She taps her foot in tune with the loud rock being played over the radio next on the counter next to her. Her hair hung down her back and sides, stuck to her skin by the water. Candles were lit all around the room with the light to the room dimmed. She hums to the tune with her eyes closed "This...this is the life! If I knew that I would be taken here, I would have gotten a group of crazy psychos to kill me sooner. This is amazin'!'" she whispers to herself with glee "Being housebound in a mansion is frickin' awesome" she scoots up handfuls of the bubbled water and throws it up like it was glitter.

From the bottom level of the Manner. Alfred stands in the living room as he cleans the heaps of emptied wrappers and dirty plates along with half a dozen empty glasses "Even Bruce wasn't this messy as a child. This whole place was neat and tidy in the early hours but now it looks like a zoo" Alfred collects the rest of Harleen's junk in a trash bag "I dread to think what she would do to this place if she is to stay here for a prolonged amount of time" Alfred's eyes look down to leftover food that was stuck to the leather couch "Oh bloody hell" he curses.

Hearing steps coming from behind him. Alfred rolls his eyes and returns to throwing the trash into the bag "Listen here. If you are going to stay here than you need to learn proper etiquette. I would greatly appreciate it if you start to actually eat the food rather than dropping it all over the bloody floor" Alfred blasts while from behind him a hand gently reaches for the golf club on the ground. Alfred groans as he steps in a pile of foot left on the carpet "Goddamn it. I won't be able to get that out! You and I are going to have a real problem if you are to keep up this vile behaviour"

Alfred turns his head and was struck over with the club. Alfred was knocked over onto the floor as a trail of blood drips down from the wound. The grey-haired man's eyes look at a pair of black beaten up shoes. Looking up he sees it. A ginger-haired man dressed in a red shirt under a black waistcoat and red blazer. The man also wore red pants "Surprise! Did you miss me? I know that you did..." Jerome laughs as he sees Alfred reach up "C' mon Jeeves, I missed you!" Jerome fakes a British accent as he whacks the Butler again, this time over his back.

"You're...you're...how?" Alfred questions with his staggered breath. Jerome grins as he strikes the man again with the club, this time the club was broken in half and the parts were thrown over the room; breaking a couple of glass ornaments.

"Oh...that's a shame. I had a couple more swings in me" Jerome sounds disappointed, he turns his head back to the beaten butler "I have a couple questions for you. First of all, when did little Brucie become...not so little? Talk about a growth spurt, am I right?" Jerome chuckles as he knees down beside Alfred "One minute you have your knife at his throat and then he's all grown up! Where does the time go?" he reaches under his blazer and pulls a gun and points it at Alfred "And you're even older than...usual? What the hell happened?"

"You're alive? how...you're supposed to be dead..." Alfred half-consciously stammers at the presumed dead man who shrugs in return.

"That is what I would like to know. I remember having little Brucie at my mercy. The tip of my blade at the skin of his neck...then...oh...that bastard Galavan tried to upstage me...that son of a bitch" Jerome's hand slivers against the sides of his neck "That bastard killed me! Next thing I know, I wake up in this weird lab place where I was tied down for most of my stay until the breakout" Jerome stands up and paces around the room "I was broken out with all the rest of the freaks, I even could have sworn that I could see Brucie on that bus"

Alfred tries to push himself up only to be whacked across the head by Jerome with his gun. Alfred was rolled onto his back as he stares up to the ginger "But that doesn't matter too much. The last thing I was trying to do was kill Brucie and I'm going to through with it, then I'm coming for that bastard Galavan. I will make him suffer" Jerome chortles as he grabs Alfred's collar, lifting him up "I would kill you here, but I want Brucie to see it. What says you if I would say that we are going on a road trip?"

Alfred spits blood in his face. Jerome shrugs "Can I take that as a yes?" he whacks the gun across Alfred's face once more with a cackle "Also...do you have a camera?" Jerome inquires as he looks at bruised man's face with a grin.

**Later...**

The door to the mansion opens as Bruce walks in, looking tired and like he was about to give up on life "Alfred, I'm back!" he calls out as ruffles his now out of place hair that rests over his forehead. His once slicked backcombed hair is now a mess. Strands of his hair stuck out from the sides and back. He rubs his eyes, feeling the dehydrated skin under his eyes, stiff and slightly cracked "Alfred, how's our guest? I'm sorry that I had to leave you with her, but Talia told me that she would look into-" Bruce turns the corner as sees the broken ornaments on the ground of the living room "Alfred?" he calls out once more, this time in concern and he hurries into the room.

"ALFRED!?" Bruce yells as he sees he was the only person in the room among the carnage. His eyes look down to the ground to small stains of blood over the floor, small drips that eventually ended up leading his eyes upon a small pool of crimson liquid that had stained into the carpet. His eyes eventually see a video camera by the pool of blood, the same camera that he used to play around with before he lost his parents. Some of the best memories he had of them were on it.

Bruce kneels down and picks it up, opening the sides as he looks through the videos. They were all gone. All his happiest memories of his mother and father - gone. Erased. His eighth birthday party, gone. His and his Father's first camping trip together, gone. His mother's speech at Wayne Enterprise for funding Arkham, forgotten.

He forgot to ask Alfred to back them up, and now they are gone. He bats his eyes as he sees that there was a recent recording taken a hour ago. The camera was old, very old, it the videos that it did produce came out all out low quality with a slight static layer. The sound it gave off was also not ideal either, with the voices and sounds sounding like they were layered with a small buzzing that came from them. Fearing what he was going to see he hesitantly presses play.

_**/CLICK/**_

"HI THERE, BRUCIE! LONG TIME NO MURDER! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Bruce's eyes reflect the video shown on the camera. He was in disbelief at what he was seeing so much that he nearly drops the camera.

"I know what you are thinking Bruce - isn't this handsome guy supposed to be pushing up daisies? How did this charming young man come back from the grave? Well Brucie...I have completely no idea" Jerome laughs as he holds a gun against Alfred's head while he held the camera with his spare hand "But I sure as hell ain't complaining! Maybe I was brought back to finish the job that I started all those years ago - to slit your pretty little throat! Oh...I would have had you if it wasn't for that bastard Galavan!" Jerome shakes the camera as his eyes tense up.

"Galavan?" Bruce thought to himself in confusion.

"So this is the deal, Brucie boy! I want to kill you and your manservant who you call a friend. I want you to come to me...at the place where I was supposed to end you before!" Jerome's eyes look down to Alfred as he hears him say something "Aye, what do you mean that Wayne Tower blew up? Awwww...fine! Wait...there's a new one? ALRIGHT, change of plan, meet me at the top of the world where your little company rules. Meet me on top of the roof of Wayne Tower...and do it soon, otherwise, your butler will become paste on the sidewalk! Also no cops...I want to surprise little old Jimbo! TOODLES!" Jerome grins into the camera as the recording stops.

Bruce drops the camera and stamps on it with his foot out of anger. His face reddened as breaths heavily "Jerome Valeska...how is this possible" he says under his breath. His ears prick as he hears a yelp come from behind him. Turning his head he sees Harleen standing at the entrance to the room, dressed in nothing but a towel that was wrapped around her chest which she holds in place. Her hair was hanging down her back still damp. Her eyes look at the stains of blood on the floor.

"Oh...god...where's Alfred? It wasn't those armed men was it?" Harleen gulps.

Bruce turns his body towards her "No. It was Jerome Valeska" he replies as he storms towards "You were here the whole time and you didn't think to tell me about this? Alfred has been gone for almost a hour" he hissed at her as he got right up in her face, causing Harleen to backway from him.

"I've been in the bath and just got out to see if Alfred got those clothes that I asked him for. He was supposed to put them on my bed so when he didn't. I came right down to see him. I h-had music playing, I didn't hear this happen" Harleen points to the blood stains.

"You were in the bath for over a hours" Bruce asks astonished as he sees Harleen's hand that held her towel in place was wrinkled.

"Uh yeah...with a tub like that...I would buy as much time as I can. Anyway, I thought Jerome was dead...like fallen to his death" Harleen questions as she looks away "You don't think that he and Jeremiah are working together do you?" she asks with consternation plaguing her voice.

"Doubt it. Jerome never felt too warm about his brother. Stay here" Bruce heads for the exit only for Harleen to pull at his arm.

"Uh...where are you going?" she pleas.

"He wants me to meet him. He'll kill Alfred if I don't" he shakes off her grip on him.

"Call Gordon or something. You can't possibly be thinking of facing him by yourself?" she advises.

"He'll kill Alfred if tell the copes, trust me. I can take care of myself" he heads out of the room.

Harleen's lips curve into a smile "I know that you can, get 'em, B-Man" she says in a whisper.

Bruce grabs his phone from his pocket and holds it to his ear "Lucius, It's me. Alfred has been taken, I need you to prepare something for me"

"Oh my. Of course, Bruce. Whatever you need" Lucius responds.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

Wayne Tower, the monument of Gotham. Synonymous with the city itself as it stands tall. From the roof, Jerome grins as he looks down from the skyscraper to the streets below. The cars and people below seemed so small, like ants, meaningless ants to Jerome who stands above them all. He holds Alfred over the edge of the building, his nightmarish grin shows the child-like joy that he was experiencing from the whole ordeal "Gotham sure has changed a lot since I died. It's almost completely alien to me" Jerome sniffs the air "But that stench of a cesspool is just as strong as ever! It's nice to know that the city didn't fall apart without me. I would hate to have actually seen this city become a safe place...that would have been boring"

"I don't know how I came back, but I'm gonna make the most of it. I'm going to drive the whole damn town crazy...ohhh...I can picture it now. Blood all over the walls of Gotham, laughter coming from everywhere, it will be magnificent!" Jerome chuckles "And best of all, there will be no one to stop me from raising hell!"

"That's what you think!"

Jerome turns his head to see Bruce standing in the middle of the roof, dressed in a black top under a black trench coat "How'd you do that?" Jerome asks as he sees that Bruce just appeared out of nowhere. A small smile slowly creeps up on his face as he points his gun towards Bruce "Come any closer and I'll drop him" he sniggers, looking at the man was being held over the ledge "Hi, Brucie. You sure have grown up from a pathetic boy to a pathetic man. The more things change, the more they stay the same...so...how have been?" Jerome waves his gun around as he talks.

"I've been great. I have been taking punks like you off the street for almost a year now" Bruce paces back for forth, looking at Jerome "Should have known you would find some way to be brought back again. Wasn't your last scourge on Gotham enough kicks for you?" Bruce asks, clearly annoyed.

"Brought back again? What are you talking about, Brucie? This is my first-second wind. I'm going to kill you and then Galavan for killing me!" Jerome grins "Oh my...your eyes. I can see so much darkness in them, much more than I could when you were a kid..."

"Galavan? You said that in the recording too. You don't remember the last time you came back..." Bruce raises an eyebrow "Your not the same Jerome. You're a clone. The real Jerome is still berried" Bruce observes as he sees Jerome's face take an interest.

"Clone, Brucie? You really need to get your head out of those comic books" Jerome chuckles "You're starting to sound crazy and trust me. I know a thing or two about that" the ginger man takes a deep look at Bruce "Wait, there's something different about you. Your eyes...they are full of darkness, anger...this is interesting..." Jerome puzzled over the darkness that he could see in the other man's eyes "Where is that pathetic scared boy that had my knife against his throat?"

"I stopped feeling sorry for myself a long time ago when I swore to take down people like you" Bruce stops in his tracks as he glares over to Jerome "Believe me or not. You came back before, and you managed to take Gotham, you and a few other Arkham inmates took over the city..."

"Oh...do tell, Brucie! Did I do a good job, did people run in fear of me! C'mon, I can take constructive criticism" Jerome playfully responds as he waves her gun around while keeping Bruce in the line of fire.

"You failed" Bruce steps forward "You died and were forgotten. You may try and tell yourself that you will matter, that your legacy will go on beyond you, but you will be forgotten. When it was all said and done...you were nothing. Someone else came along and replaced you" the billionaire growls, arms hung by his sides as he glares at Jerome "For the rest of time, you will just be known as the prelude to the true horror of Gotham. You were nothing but a warm-up for your brother"

"Ah...yeah...Jeremiah. That bastard always tried to piss me off, now you're telling me that he's a better me than...me? Wow...wow...that actually is hurtful" Jerome bounces on the spot "I really need to think of something that will put me back on top, I can't have him outdoing me, bad for my image" Jerome laughs, wavering the gun "Listen here, Brucie. I'm going to shoot you here and now, then I am going to drop your manservant and watch him become a street paste, then I am going to drive Gotham crazier than my brother ever could!"

"You could..." Bruce insinuates with a soft tone of voice.

"Yeah, I can and will..." Jerome tittering smile stretches across his cheeks "I will shoot you here and I will enjoy it. I have been waiting so long for this..." he gently places his finger over the trigger of the gun "Any last words, little Brucie?"

Bruce takes another step towards Jerome "Really? Are you happy with killing me here? That's boring and is lacking style" his hair was gently blown by the wind that flows through it, along with the material of his black trench coat that was gently wavered by the breeze from the top of the tower "I expected more" Bruce recalls that Jerome fell for the same trick all those years ago, he was hoping that it would work again since this Jerome shouldn't have those memories.

"Hmmmm" Jerome conflicts with himself as he bites his lip "Ahhhhh, what do you mean? Is it not flashy enough? Dying on the tower that elevates your presence all throughout the city? I thought it was clever, and kinda ironic" Jerome flips the gun in his hand "What am I doing wrong? What could make for a better tomb for you than this?"

"I am the most famous and beloved man in Gotham, and you were just going to kill me without a proper audience?" the son of Gotham lifts his eyebrows to acclimate his point "You can't seriously be happy with finally getting your chance to finally kill me and not have anyone here to see it? Last time...you had a giant audience"

"Ahhhhh" Jerome tilts his head "See...I know that you are trying to play me but you're right. I need people to see it when I slit your throat...they will all cheer for you demise" Jerome snickers as he turns his head to Alfred who was half-lying over the ledge of the tower "But your manservant? Not quite..."

"Let him go" Bruce growls.

"Very poor choice of words, Brucie...very poor indeed" Jerome lets go of his grip and beaten and bruised Alfred begins to fall "Looks like it's just you and-" Jerome steps aside as he sees Bruce run up to the ledge and dive off the tower after Alfred who was speeding towards the hard pavement below. Jerome tilts his neck "...Me...?" he stammers in a confused tone "He really does care about him, here I was just thinking it was a publicity thing...doesn't he know that he can just replace him, you would have thought that old Jeeves was the only living butler left in the world" he shrugs his shoulders.

From below, Bruce quickly descends down the tower after the unconscious Alfred who was vastly heading to the ground "I'LL SAVE YOU!" Bruce yells as he brings his arms into his sides to quicken his descent "ALFRED!" he screams as he steadily approaches the other man in freefall. Bruce's eyes widen as he sees that they were both more than halfway down the tower and were in quick motion to the ground below "Not you...NOT YOU TOO!" Bruce reaches out his hand and grabs the man's hand.

Bruce's eyes narrow as he lifts up his right arm, his trench coat expands and helps him glide through the air to slow their descent "I got you!" Bruce panics as he holds the man to his chest. Bruce pulls out his grapple gun and without thinking fires it and hoped that it would take them to higher ground. Bruce and Alfred were zipped upward towards a building opposite Wayne Tower. Bruce positions himself to take the brunt of the impact as he holds Alfred close to his chest as they were thrown onto the building.

"Gahhh" Bruce groans as he lands on his back. After taking a moment to rest he quickly got up and gently places Alfred down on the roof. The son of Gotham's eyes widened as he sees just how battered and bruised his closest thing to a father was. His face was covered in cuts and scrapes, his teeth were soaked in his own blood and his right eye was reddened. Bruce holds his arm under the man's neck and rests his spare hand on his chest to search for a heartbeat "Alfred? Alfred? It's Bruce...please...please...say something...please" Bruce rests his head over Alfred's chest. He hears a week and uncommon beat of the man's heart "No...Alfred...you need to stay with me..." he suddenly hears the soft and irregular beating of his heart stop.

Bruce's eyes widen as he sets the man down fully on the ground and places both of his hands over the man's chest "ALFRED! NO!" He presses down on the man's chest "YOU CAN'T BE..." Bruce breaks down as he repeatedly forces his hands down over his chest "No..." he distresses as pinches the man's nose and blows in his mouth "You can't die" Bruce then repeats the process over and over before returning to holding his hands down on his chest "Alfred...?"

Jerome smirks as he sees the sight unfold "Aww god...he's crying. I killed my mom and you don't see me crying about it, he's such a wimp" he slowly shakes his head "Sorry Brucie, but you ain't no hero. No matter how much you try to get passed it, you always be that pathetic boy from that night...sayonara, Brucie" Jerome laughs as he turns around "It's been a killer!"

* * *

**Later **

**[Selina Kyle]**

In her apartment: Selina Kyle stands over her bed as she packs her Catwoman suit in a briefcase. Her green eyes reflect the black outfit and the red goggles on the helmet of the suit reflects her. She brings her hand to the lid of the case and with a moment a pause, she closes the briefcase. Her green eyes slowly move over to a picture frame on one of the shelves. It held the picture of herself and Bruce along with all her other friends. The image was taken right after the end of no man's land. She noticed how she had her arm over Bruce's shoulder with him having his arm around her waist. They were both smiling, they were both happy...the moment was so perfect.

She closes her eyes as she recalled those memories.

[**Jim** **Gordon**]

The commissioner sat alone on the couch as he holds an empty wine glass. His face showed every emotion that he was feeling. Anger, distress, confusion, fear. They could all be seen in his facial expression, a soulless stare at the television. His fingers lightly tap the glass. His collar was unbuttoned and his tie and jacket were lazily thrown over on the floor next to him. Lee walks up behind him and rests her arms around his neck She leans over and kisses his cheek "You should get some rest, Jim. Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow" she plants another kiss on the man's cheek, however, Jim kept his blank stare.

"Who knows if there is even going to be a tomorrow..." Jim soullessly responds.

[**Harvey** **Dent**]

He sits on the bench of the cell in almost pitch-black darkness. It was silent ike there was no other person for miles on end. He sighs, bringing out his coin as he fiddles with it in his hand, rubbing it with his thumb and index finger. His grabs the coin into his fist as he face takes on a dark expression, anger flooded his face as he looks outward at the room. He presses the heel of his shoe much harder against the cold solid ground of the floor.

[**Harleen Quinzel**]

The sweet blonde now turns on a much more serious tone on his face. She walks through the living room of Wayne Manner, a smile creeps over her lips as her blue eyes land on a picture of both Bruce and Alfred. She picks up the picture frame, Bruce was just a little kid in that picture and was not smiling, he seemed miserable in fact. Her face was reflected in the glass of the frame, showing all the features of her face "It's hard to believe that this little squirt became...him..." she mutters.

[**Harvey Bullock**]

Harvey walks through a long empty hallway as he smirks until he is greeted with the sight of Hugo Strange who stands with his arms behind his back "So how did it go?" the professor asks as he sees Harvey heads towards him. Hugo Strange's dark-tinted glasses reflects Harvey as he comes closer and closer "I trust that it is all going according to plan? I went through a lot of effort to stabilize you, it would be a shame if all that hard work turns out to be a waste of time my friend"

Harvey grins "They don't suspect a thing, after all this time. You would have thought that Gordon would have realized..." Harvey's body liquidizes into a grey disfigured man. With jet black eyes that eventually hardened into a grey figure who has an even bigger grin on his face. Instead of having five fingers on his hands, Clayface had three massive ones on each hand. Parts of his body slowly drop off. Wet chunks fall drip onto the floor only to be absorbed through his oversized feet "This is easier than I thought" Clayface's voice was a much lower tone, and had a small echo to it.

"Good job, Mr Karlo" Strange compliments.

[**Jerome** **Valeska**]

Rain hits down like a storm alongside quick flashes of lightning. Jerome stands in the middle of a graveyard as he stands in front of one specific tombstone: Jerome Valeska. His hair is soaked, his clothes were damp and clinging to his body. He sees the uncared for grave, it was cracked, broken and a complete mess. Holding a shovel in his hand, he grins as he sticks into the ground "...Hello...me" he laughs as he digs up his own grave, bit by bit, piece by piece. Lightning strikes the ground behind him and thunder roars all around "...Nice to meet you..." Jerome throws another collection of dirt over to the side and shoves his shovel back into the ground "I'm not sure that we have met before..."

[**Bruce Wayne**]

Bruce Wayne stands outside the operation room of Gotham Central Hospital. His hands tucked away in the pockets of his black coat. His hair was damp, sticking to his forehead his clothes were beyond soaked as they drip onto the floor. The rain that stuck in his hair drips down into his eyes, but Bruce just let it fall as his eyes focus solely on the window looking inward on the operation room. He sees Alfred lying on the operating table with several nurses and doctors stand around him.

His face held nothing, no emotion. He was broken, shattered at the scene that was playing out right in front of his eyes. The excess rainwater slivers down his face, down his neck. His only worries and concerns were happening right there in the next room over. He hears them nurses and doctors panic "We're losing him!" he hears one of them alert the other as they hurry around "He's going into cardiac arrest!" another yelled. The head Doctor grabs the defibrillator and presses it against Alfred's bare chest "CLEAR!" she warns as Alfred's body slightly bounces upward due to the shock "CLEAR!" she calls again as she repeats the motion "I'm not seeing any improvement!"

"CLEAR!"

Bruce silently watches, not making a sound, not making any movements. He just watches, motionless as he sees the nurses and doctors run around in the room "CLEAR!" the Doctor says once more as another jolt was sent through Alfred's chest.

"CLEAR!"

"CLEAR!"

"CLEAR!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Time of death: 23: 04 PM..."


	18. The Showman's Touch

**The Showman's Touch **

* * *

**2:34 AM**

**[Three Days Until Operation: Knightfall]**

Cold. Emptiness. Lost. Regret. Pain. Anguish. Failure.

Bruce felt them all, all the harsh self-reflecting thoughts that roam around his mind, clashing with each other with force. All the emotions swirling up inside of him, all the feelings that haunt him. All the cornucopia of mind-numbing lingering broken memories that flooded his body. He couldn't make sense of all of them, they acted on their own as they defied his own wishes as they made him still, silent and nothing. He stood completely stationary through the ward as he looks into the room where the person that he loved the most died, his most beloved friend, his father as far as he was concerned.

He had no idea how long he stood there, hours maybe? He couldn't tell. Every moment, every second and hour all mish-mashed together in one endless cycle of grief that he suffers. Alfred's body had already been moved, a while back, yet Bruce keeps standing in that one spot in the ward. People had to walk next to the walls to pass by as Bruce did not acknowledge them, he couldn't. A couple wheelchair-bound patients too had tried to cross over him, but they too were forced to go around him.

His ears pick up the sound of someone calling out his name, presumably in a panic "Bruce!" a voice tries to get his attention, but he does not look away from the room. His body refused to listen to him. Selina walks in front of him with watery eyes and tears dripping down her cheeks. She looked to be shaken too, she was jittery, nervous and seemed to be lost in her own storm of thoughts "I came - as soon as I head-..." she struggles to get the words out as she steps forward and wraps her arms around him, bringing him into an embrace and rests her head on his right shoulder.

Her grip around him tightens, it starts to hurt him, but still, Bruce keeps his eyes on that room "Bruce...? What...happened...what...hap-how did this...?" Selina asks, clearly uneasy and saddened. Bruce heard her voice, full of sorrow and pain just like his own thoughts, yet he couldn't gather the strength to respond, his body just wouldn't let him. His mind and body were at odds and they were not finding any common ground between them. One wanted to reach out and bring his arms around Selina and the other part of him wanted to ignore her and drown in his failures.

"Bruce? Can you hear me?" Selina moves back and cups the man's face in her palms as she looks up to her eyes could meet his own "Who did this, Bruce? Who's the bastard that killed Alfred? Please...I need to know...I need to know...please" she pleads with him for an answer, but one never came. Bruce didn't say a thing, he didn't even look at her. He was just still like he has given up, that he is hurt beyond repair. Selina steps on her tip-toes and runs her hand through his hair "BRUCE!" she tries to get him to look at her, but still nothing.

"This isn't funny, Bruce. For the love of god...please say something" she lightly shakes at the man's shoulders "Please..." she begs as she rests her head against his chest "Please...talk to me. I know that you are beating yourself up over this...please don't. This wasn't your fault...please talk to me..." her eyes closed as she wraps her arms around his neck "...Bruce..." she holds him close to her, hoping that he would finally say something. She could feel the pain that he was going through, she knows that Bruce blames himself for it, she knew that Bruce was hurting and that he had just lost the closest thing to family that he had.

She opens her eyes and looks up at him and she sees it. He looked down to her, his eyes meeting her own eyes. Selina steps back as she sees the pure rage in his eyes, pure anguish and more importantly: Nothing. Bruce never had that look in his eyes, no matter how hard things got or what he had lost. The look that he was giving her was not one that belongs to him. It's darker than even Batman's glares, whoever was looking at her right now, it wasn't Bruce, it wasn't Batman...it was something new, something far darker.

"I'm sorry for what happened to Alfred. But I need you to talk to me, please?" she tries to reach him, but still nothing.

"Bruce...?" she tries again.

"...please..." she reaches her hand out to him.

Bruce glares down to her and grabs her wrist. He didn't share a single word with her, but the look in his eyes said it all. It was a warning to her to back off, a look so rage filled that it shook Selina to her very core. This wasn't Bruce. She was sure of it now. He releases his grip on her wrist and turns his back to her and starts to walk off "Bruce!" she calls out his name; he doesn't stop or even acknowledges her voice. He just walks away and leaves her.

Selina softly shakes her head as she knows that she couldn't get through to him. Though all the time that they spent together, Alfred would always mean more to him and was his last safety net from falling into an abyss of pitch black darkness. Alfred was always there to make sure that Bruce never crossed the line, he watched over him as both a father and a mentor. Selina worries over that without Alfred, Bruce may as well end up fading away too.

* * *

**6: 19 AM **

**G.C.P.D**

Jerome, disguised in an officer uniform casually walks in with his hands in his pockets. He looks around the whole place, it was just as he remembered it: easy to walk into an, even more, easier to walk out. The memories of his last time there brought a grin to his face. He carefully tips his hat to officers who passed him "Good morning" he tells one "How you doing?" he asks another "Don't worry...I hate Mondays too" he says to a third office, all unaware of his identity.

Walking up the steps, Jerome finds himself heading towards the archive room "Bingo" he grins as he pushes open the door and walks into the room which was empty to his liking. He had the time and didn't have to worry about other people looking over his shoulder. He looks around and sees a countless number of filing cabinets "Okay...J...J...J...ah" Jerome steps over to the filing cabinet that caught to his eye. He looks behind him to see if anyone was coming.

Once he was sure that there wasn't. He drags the draw open to be greeted with over a hundred folders "Oh for the love of..." he rolls his eyes as he looks through the names on the folders, looking for his own "Oh...come on. I should be at the front...unless they do it alphabetically, but in this city, It should really be based by sickest" he comments. His eyes spot his folder and pulls it out. He opens it and looks at the papers inside. His look from left to right as he reads them "Let's see...huh...so that's how I came back before...I had a fan club? Hmm...my face... I kidnapped Brucie and took him to a circus and tried to kill him...good. I like that one.

"Trapped in Arkham...been there, done that. Ohhhhh… took the whole city and fell to my death...seems about right" Jerome closes the folder and his eyes catch the glimpse at another folder in the cabinet "Valeska? Ooooo…was I so much of a bad boy that I need two separate folders? About time they recognized me for my..." Jerome lifts out the folder and lets out a disappointed sigh as it was his brother's name "Oh...great. First, he has the nerve to share my good looks and now he is sharing my legacy, what uh...ugly..." Jerome trails off as he opens the folder and was greeted with several pictures of Jeremiah.

One of him back when he still had ginger hair and unaltered skin, another of his ghost-white face with his died hair and the third that was taken after his time in the chemicals and the fourth and final form when he broke out of Arkham "Yikes, you really, really, really, really, really let yourself go. No wonder mom said that I always had the good looks" Jerome begins to read through the file and with mere moments. His eyes were thrown into a fit of rage "Bastard! Son of a bitch...he brought Gotham back into the dark ages? Wait...Batman? Who the hell is Batman?"

"Hmmm. This...is...curious" Jerome hurries his way towards the second filing cabinet of room and picks out the file that he was looking for "Batman? He dresses up as a bat...and people call me crazy" he comments in an amused tone as he grabs the three files and stuffs them under the police jacket that was zipped up. He exits the room and heads out of the department and out onto the streets. It was still the early hours of the day and without came a soft glimmer of light that he approaching the city of Gotham. The sky wasn't fully black, but a dark blue that was slightly getting lighter as the minutes went by.

He walks away from the station and around the corner with a smirk "I got a lot of time to make up for. I'm not letting my brother get all the spotlight. He should know that the family should share. But what to do? Kill a butler? Nah, I already did that. Kidnap Brucie? Nope...I already did that. And I don't like repeating acts...even if it was...another me. Ah, I got it!" Jerome cheers in his own thoughts "I will kill Brucie. In the most spectacular away! No one is busy doing it at the moment, so I don't have to worry about ruining other people's chances"

"But how? It's not like he has a butler to kill anymore. Hold on...my file said that I had a group of loyal followers? Let's see if they're still around" Jerome cackles.

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise Tower**

_"Umm, Mr Fox? You have someone here to see you"_ a female voice notifies Lucius through the phone on his desk.

Lucius was sat behind a large computer as he types on the keyboard next to it. He was slightly sweating and he looked nervous "I don't have any scheduled appointments for today. Please tell them to leave and make an appointment for another day" Lucius replies, his words coming out weak yet almost robotic as he doesn't take his eyes off of the screen in front of him. That should have solved the problem, but the voice responds. Lucius rolls his eyes.

_"I tried telling her that, but she insisted...on…"_ the woman's voice suddenly became more weighted.

"_Oh for crying out loud give that here_" Lucius hears some sort of scuffle "_It's me, Lucius! Selina Kyle...We know each other and I have to talk to you about something really important_" Lucius hears Selina voice almost yelling at him through the call. She wasn't quite aggressive in her tone, but she came across as not being there for a fun time. She sounded like she was demanding him to let her in and to see her. Lucius let out a sigh and rubs his closed eyes.

"Let her in" Lucius instructs, standing up and looks towards the door to his office. He sees Selina barge in with her eyes set on him "Ah, Selina. I heard...I heard...about what happened. I know that Alfred meant a lot to you. He meant a lot to me too. I hope you know that we are all here for-" Lucius was cut off as he sees Selina walk around his desk and look at his computer "You to invade our personal information. I heard that different people deal with grief differently but my personal space is still just as...personal"

"Where's Bruce, Lucius?" Selina glares over to the man who gave her a questionable look "I think Bruce is hurting a lot right now. I'm worried that he went off looking for the bastard to killed Alfred" Selina informs Lucius in a worried tone.

"I'm sure that Bruce is hurting...but you can't possibly think that Bruce Wayne is capable of such action and how would I know where he is?"

"Cut the crap, Lucius. I know that you are his tech guy. If anyone would know what's he up to...it would be you. Now. Tell. Me. Where. Bruce. Is. Before I hurt you" she warns him. Lucius rolls back his shoulders and walks towards her.

"Okay...I have been tracking his movement for the past few hours. I don't know why, but he has been heading towards presumed abandoned buildings all around Gotham, he even went underground a couple times. I can't begin to guess just what his intent is" Lucius explains as he steps next to Selina and taps his keyboard. A map of Gotham appears on the screen in front of them with red dots scattered all around the map "The dots indicate the places that he-"

"Yeah, I got that" Selina stops him. She turns her head to him "Is he *suited up*?"

"I can confirm that. My tech shows that he has accessed the Batcave in the last few hours"

"Hold on. Did you just say *Batcave*…? Like a secret lair?" she raised an eyebrow, thinking that Lucius was making a joke in a very inappropriate time.

"Yes, I did. It's based under Wayne Manner" Lucius adds.

"But that blonde bimbo is staying there, I doubt Bruce would risk exposing it to her" Selina interjects.

"There is another entrance not too far away. in the woods behind the manner. That doesn't matter. I'm sure that Bruce is just trying to clear his mind. The last day has been bad for him. Maybe he just needs some time to himself..."

"Lucius, that's the last thing that he needs. You didn't see the look in his eyes. That wasn't Bruce...it wasn't even Batman. When I saw into his eyes...I saw something much darker than either of them. It was like he was a completely different person. Lucius, he didn't even talk to me, he didn't even look at me. Whatever Bruce is up to...I doubt it will be something that he will be able to live with if he is to go through with it" Selina looks back to the screen "Which is the most recent location on the map?"

"Here" Lucius points to the screen and to one of the blinking dots "This one just came up before you entered the room. Are you thinking of going after him?" Lucius inquires as he turns to her "Maybe you might be able to catch him in time before he runs off"

"Lucius...whoever I'm going to find there, I doubt it is going to be Bruce...but I hope that it is" Selina moves away from the desk until Lucius stops her. He pulls out an earpiece and holds it to her. Selina lifts an eyebrow and slowly reaches for it.

"To keep in contact, keep me updated" Lucius sees Selina grab the earpiece and slides it over her ear "Selina, I hate to that guy. But if when you find him...he's...he's...you know. Not the Bruce that we know" he asks her "Maybe we should get Talia involved. She's the only person that I know who can hold her own against him"

"Yeah, sure! Get the woman who wants Bruce to start killing go after him when he's in a really dark place! Great idea, Lucius! I can't see that possibly backfiring" Selina sarcastically replies "And...how do you know about her?" was Selina's next concern.

"Bruce didn't tell you?" Lucius asks, slightly nervous.

"Didn't tell me what?" she shrugs.

"Doesn't matter. Bruce needs our help...even if he doesn't need it. I tried to talk to him through his communicator, but he hasn't said a single thing. I know that he can hear me, but he's not responding. Please, you need to get to him before he makes a massive mistake" Lucius tells her. Selina could see the worry in his eyes, she then realized that the man cared about Bruce a whole lot more than even she thought. It made her hopeful that they could somehow pull it off and bring Bruce back.

Selina nods and begins to head out of the room "Getting my equipment from my apartment will take too long. Looks like I'm going as casual" she thinks to herself. She walks towards the elevator as the secretary glares at her from their earlier interaction. She presses the button on the panel and the elevator stops on the floor. Selina steps in it as the doors slide open. She stands against the wall in the back with her arms crossed "Bruce...please don't do anything stupid...more so than normal"

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

Harleen stares at the television in front of her. She is seated on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap which she picks out handfuls every minute or two. With the remote in hand, she switches between the channels which mostly consist of melodramatic soap operas, a couple crime shows and a few game shows. Harleen was always perplexed by how boring TV could be in a city such as Gotham. She would have thought that there wouldn't be a minute going by without a couple breaking news stories.

Even the News Channels were a bore. Sure there were a couple murders reported on, but most of it was just politics about the dead mayor and Harvey Dent who was supposed to be held in the Gotham City Police Department "For a billionaire you woulda thought that he could afford better channels" she grumbles as she switches the channel again "I'm lonely" she sighs as she takes another mouthful of popcorn "Seriously. I hope Bruce is okay, and Alfred too. I'm way too bored without them" she says while her mouth was still full, almost choking. She fists her chest and spits out one of the pieces of popcorn that's stuck in her throat. She leans her head back as she listens to the TV.

_"Batman is a criminal, no better than those other freaks! What gives him the right to go around and act above the law?" _

_"These people are sick. The last thing they need in some costumed lunatic beating the hell out of 'em" _

_"Hey! Batman saved my son. I owe him"_

"_To combat the crime of Gotham. We have to be better than the criminals, not have Batman threaten them with physical violence! What example would that be setting for our children?"_

"_Those monsters deserve every beating that they get. They are murderers, sex traffickers, rapists! If we really wanted the best for our children, we should let Batman have free rein and actually kill those irredeemable psychos!" Batman is fine in my book!_"

"_Those were just a few comments on the masked vigilante, known as Batman. The divisive figure has been subject to both praise and criticism by various members of the public. Mayor James was a known detractor of Batman but was praised by the man believed to be his murderer: Harvey Dent. We tried reaching out to Commissioner James Gordon about what actions he and his department will be taking towards the vigilante. No comment has been made at the time of this broadcast, stay tuned for any updates - This is Vicki Vale signing off, back to you, Jack_"

"Boring" Harleen groans as two hands place themselves on her shoulders from behind. Startled, Harleen jumps up out of her seat with a gasp. She turns to see Joker stood behind the couch. Dressed in a purple shirt and green waistcoat and purple pants. Harleen's eyes widen as she rests her hand over her chest. She points down to her ankle which the monitoring device was placed which drew his eyes to it. Joker shrugs his shoulders.

"Oh Harley, it's a dud. Just a piece of plastic with an LED light. I had people in the right place make sure of that. It's just for show to make them think that you are being a good girl" Joker reveals as he circles around Harleen.

"Al, puddin' you scared the heck outa me. Please don' go around sneakin' up on a gal like that. You coulda got hurt" Harleen breaths heavily.

"That's half the fun, Harley" Joker looks around the room, noticing just how similar it was to the previous one "Tell me, Harley. How are you enjoying your stay? I hope that you are on your best behaviour, after all, you are their guest" he hums as he sees a chessboard placed on its own table.

"I'm even better now that you're here!" she wraps her arms around him from behind "This place is fantastic. It has a pool, like seventeen bedrooms and over eight bathrooms. A greenhouse and a large garden. This place is amazin'. You're plan worked like a charm!" she chirps as she tightens her arms around his chest. Joker rolls his eyes and forcefully pulls her arms away from him; causing Harleen to nearly trip over. Joker walks towards the chess board that caught his interest.

"Of course it worked, it was my plan. People often look at my madness and disregard my intelligence, they think that I am just simply a mad man. Which is not inaccurate , but I do like to spice thing up every now and then. Bruce, Gordon...they are easy to read and even more easy to manipulate. Bruce's loyalty to his friends has always been his weakness. He is so quick to believe in his friends even when they don't believe in themselves. I always loved that about him"

Umm, Puddin'? Did you know that you dead brother came here last night and kidnapped Bruce's butler? Bruce seemed extremely distraught about it...you don't think that Bruce is going to get himself killed do you? He has no way of fighting someone like him" Harleen worries.

"My peers and I thought that Batman was getting too close to stopping operation: Knightfall before it could begin. So I did the most un-logical thing that I could think off. I set loose my brother to distract Gotham so we would have all the time we needed to get the final pieces in place. The fact that Jerome has already taken Alfred proves that I made the right call" Joker tells Harleen as he now stands next to the table with the chess board "The Knight" he thinks to himself as he sees the Knight chess piece in the middle of the board unlike all the other pieces that were lined up at the corners "Curious"

"Mistah J? If you don't mind me asking, just what is so important about Bruce Wayne to you? I thought that your sights were set on The Batman. I read up on Bruce and your history, but I never thought of you as being one as lingering on the past? I would have thought that your main goal would be to take down Batman. So what makes Bruce so special?" Harleen inquires. Joker slowly twists his head to look at her. A smile creeps on his red-stained lips that creases his white painted face.

"Dear me, my sweet Harley, my naïve Harley. Harley oh what will I do with you? That is for me to know and for you to never ask again...my sweet Harley. This game of ours is between me and him, sure there will be pawns, our castles, our queens" Joker grabs Harleen's hand and brings her closer to him "And Knights" he holds her close to him. She looks her to greet his gaze with a smile of her own "But this is all a game between me and Bruce. It has always been, it's the only thing we both know and deep down he wants that" Joker's grin widens "I have already taken most of his players off the board. He's not beating me this time, but it will be fun to watch him try..."

"Does that mean that I am your queen?" Harleen asks in a flirtatious tone.

"I was going for a chess analogy, but sure, why not?" Joker replies with a hint of sarcasm as he wraps his right arm around her lower back and lowers her down so that he could stare down at her "You have one job, Harley. Use your psychology degree and good looks to keep Bruce and his friends at bay. I doubt Jerome has in him to last three whole days, especially with his survival rate, plus as we are speaking. He is slowly rotting from the inside. Even if he doesn't do himself in, he is bound to die anyway" Joker tells Harleen.

"I saw one of the women that he have a thing for: Selina Kyle, I think her name was. I could see in her body language that she cares deeply for Bruce, and from what I have seen from Bruce. He is not someone that gets touchy any woman that he is attracted to. He only goes out with women that he cares deeply for, ones that he knows that he loves..." Harleen tells Joker as she smiles up at him "There's more..." she coos as Joker pulls her up and takes her hand, lifting it up and twirling her on the spot until she was facing him again. He pulls her in closer until her chest was against his.

"Do tell, my sweet Harley" the man grins.

"There's another woman that Bruce loves. From what I gathered, she works at Wayne Enterprise. She must be quite the contender for Bruce's little heart because poor Selina seems to be jealous of her. Bruce's butler gave me all I needed to know by the look on his face" Harleen bites her bottom lip and lifts an eyebrow, she sees the man's eyes narrow and tilt his head "Give me more time and I can find out who she is. She could be perfect to get Bruce's attention" Harleen wagers.

"Oh Harley, oh Harley..." Joker cups Harleen's chin with his gloved hand "You sure do know how to put a smile on my face" Joker voiced his approval. Harleen repeatedly nods, smiling as she sees the joy in the man's eyes.

* * *

A black boot presses itself on the unclean floor and into a small pool of blood as it leaves behind red footprints along his way. Walking forward a cape attached to the man slides across the ground, as it too leaves behind small trails of fin lies of red, swaying from side to side with each step that he takes. The shadowed figure slowly walks through a path of over ten unconscious men, bloodied and bruised as they lie in pools of their own blood. The men were weakly groaning in pain and steadily trying to move, but they had too many broken bones to make a single worthwhile movement. The man lurking in the shadows approaches a workbench with a laptop on it.

He slowly brings his bloodstained black armour-gloved hands to the laptop's keyboard and presses on a few keys; causing multiple taps to pop up on its screen. His chest was reflected on the screen, including the bat symbol that was most prominent on his chest. His eyes look through the new files, all encrypted, heavily. It was clear that someone didn't want him to be looking throw them, and made sure to make it as difficult as possible for him to do so.

"I'm here," Selina tells Lucius through her earpiece as she enters what looks like an abounded Wearhouse, one covered in dust and rust, possibly mould too. Selina had to cover her mouth due to the amount of dust that pollutes the air around her "I think I finally found somewhere even more disgusting than the narrows. If Bruce is here, then I really want to find him soon, before I drown in the dirt" she sees that the shutter to the next room was opened halfway with a trail of blood leading out of it "Ugh...gross"

_"The tracker says that he should still be here_" Lucius informs her.

"Good, cuz I would hate to be doing this for no reason" Selina kneels down and manoeuvres to the other side of the half-open shutter, while avoiding the blood on the floor the best that she could, but she still got a red stains on the sides of her jeans "I really shouldn't have brought my best jacket" she stands back up once she was on the other side. The place was dark, not pitch black, but the only source of light came from the few and far between small windows on the sides and some from the entrance.

Her ears were overblown by the sounds of dripping water from a number of pipes all around her that resulted in large puddles of dirty water that makes the floor slippery, not to the mention the trails of blood that mixes with the water to create an even more foul smell that burns her nose. The dirt, mould and mix of stained liquids made the whole place look unsettling, accompanied by the lack of a decent light source only made it look even worse.

_"Any sign of him?"_ Lucius asks suddenly which almost made Selina jump.

"I'll tell you when I see him" she hisses. She reaches behind her waist and pulls out a small flashlight which she turns on. The flashlight added some much-needed light, but still not enough to give a decent view of her surroundings, only having a clear view in front of her. After around thirty seconds of walking, she spots something on the floor in the corner of her eye. She focuses her eyes and walks towards the point of interest. She sees a man lying on his front, lying in a puddle of blood.

Her green eyes narrow as she sees a metal bat-shaped object stuck in the man's upper back. Selina sees a couple loose teeth around him, his left arm looks slanted and was bent in the wrong way. Selina bats her eyes in shock at the man's current state "Lucius, I found something, or someone I guess" she notifies the man on the other end. She shines her flashlight over the man's body. Spotting even more cuts across his legs. From behind, there was a trail of blood that looked like the man dragged himself away from whatever attacked him.

_"Is it Bruce?"_ Lucius abruptly asks in a worried tone.

"No..., but I found his handy work. Some poor schmuck found himself on the receiving end on him. He looks in quite a bad shape" Selina answers.

"_Is he alive? Check for a puls_e"

"Got it" Selina kicks the man in the sides with her heels; causing the man to groan. Selina shrugs her shoulders "Yep, still breathing. Good, that means Bruce hasn't crossed that line yet...*yet* being the point of focus here" Selina steps over the man and carries on her way "Still...I haven't seen Bruce rough up anyone that badly in my time knowing him"

"_Do you think that Bruce could actually take a life? The Bruce that I know could never do such a vicious act_" Lucius comments.

"You didn't see what I did. When I looked into his eyes, I saw many things, but Bruce was not one of them" Selina gently adjusts her flashlight as she sees a rat scuttle past the corner of her eyes. The dark-haired woman looks around, focusing her vision from left and right. She sees a few more men that were on the ground, bleeding and beaten all the same as each other, she could count that there were around eight or nine men, but the limited light source may have thrown off her count "Oh...Bruce..." she whispers to herself, not disheartened by the sight before her, but by the fact that the man she knew was responsible for it.

Selina quickly looks to up to the next level as she hears loud, heavy steps that echo throughout the whole place "He's still here" she confirms. She slowly and quietly makes her way to the stairs that take up to the next level of the Wearhouse. The constant leakage of the pipes sure didn't help to calm her nerves, she couldn't believe it, but she was actually scared of Bruce. She must be, that is the only to explain the reason behind her tip-toeing up the stairs, being quiet as a mouse.

"_Selina, from my tracker; he should be on top of you_" Lucius warns her.

"Why is that never meant in a fun way," she says under her breath. She holds the railings with her hand to guide her upward "It's way too dark; I can't see a thing, even with the flashlight" she notes as she notices that though she was indeed much closer to the light coming from the windows, the upper floor was much more dangerous place with missing parts of the floor and much more creaky wooden floor, every step that she took could make him aware of her presence.

Her ears prick as she hears the sound of a cape flap from up high, she slightly shudders as she knows all too well the origin of that sound. Now she knew that he knows that she was there. Selina gulps as she finally stands on the second floor "Please, I know that you are hurting. He meant a lot to me too but doing this...doing this won't change that he's gone! Please...he wouldn't want you to be doing this! Talk to me, I'm here for you. You have me and your friends...we can get the guy who killed him, but Alfred wouldn't want you to do it this way. He would be ashamed of-" Selina's eyes widen as a metal bat-shaped object was thrown at her and knocked the flashlight right out of her hand and onto the floor on the lower level.

"What the hell is your problem!? I'm trying to help you! Lucius and I are worried sick about you" Selina, now drenched in the darkness of the room and was practically blind. She took her steps more carefully and agilely, trying to avoid the weak parts of the floor which she stood on "You have always been overdramatic , but this is a whole new level. I saw those men down there, that was brutal, even for you. I'm begging you, you haven't killed yet, but if keep at this...this..., it will only be a matter of time and I know what can happen to you when you take a life..." Selina trips over a piece of wood hanging out from the floor. She falls onto her front and looks ahead of her.

"I know how tempting that it can be, but do not give in to the darkness...you were already on the verge before, but if you go through with this...you will fall into the abyss...And I'm scared that I won't be able to get you back..." she stands back up as she holds her shoulder "Please..." she whispers on the verge of tears. She hears the sound of the cape flapping again and turns her head. Standing in front of the windows was him. He had his back to her as he faces the window.

Selina was shown the sight of his long cape and the back of his cowl, he stood with his arms by his sides. Selina takes one single step towards him. It was hard to tell, but she would guess that they were just under five away from each other "I am asking you to stop this and come back with me. You need omeone to talk to...going on your own after losing him. You are going to lose yourself, please, please. You shouldn't be out doing this when you have so much anger..." she takes another step and notices that didn't even budge at the sound of her voice like he didn't care that she was trying to reach him.

Selina knew that she only had one last card to play. She takes a deep breath as she witnesses the man's silhouette overlapping over the window "BRUCE, comes back!" she cries. She sees the figure slightly move as his head inches to the side. But it was all futile. She tries to run towards him, but the shadowed figure jumps forward and dives right out of the window; shattering it. Selina runs to the now broken window. She looks out to the ground and sees that he was nowhere to be seen.

"...Bruce..." she sighs, lowering her head.

"_How's Bruce? Please tell me that you managed to reach him_" Lucius asks.

"No, I couldn't. Because I doubt that Bruce is even in there, it's Batman. He's in control" Selina closes her eyes.

* * *

**Gotham Graveyard **

"This can't be happening," Jim Gordon says as he stands in front of a recently dug up gravestone, but not just any gravestone. One that belonged to one of the city's most infamous murderers: Jerome Valeska. In all these years since the moment he witnessed him fall to his death, he never thought for a second that he would ever see him again, but he should have known that it would happen eventually. Dressed in a black suit under a brown trench coat, the commissioner was still in disbelief at the whole ordeal. Right now, both of the Valeska brothers were free and presumably in the city, waiting to make their move.

"Unbelievable" Harvey Bullock makes his way beside him with a coffee in hand "I'm really hoping that it is just the actions of his whack-a-do followers. I heard that there are a few of them left around the city. Kids these days, am I right?" Harvey tried to use a humorous tone, but the face on the commissioner's face clearly shows that he was in no laughing mood. Bullock sighs as he too looks at the empty grave "I guy can dream, can't he?"

"Believe me, I want that to be true more than anyone, but why would what is left of his loyalists choose now to desecrate his grave? Can't be to bring him back as he would just be a pile of bones by now and his brain was sliced up the last time he died. There must be a reason behind this, there is no way that Jerome just forced his way out of his grave. It's impossible" Jim kneels down as he overlooks the grave "The last time we thought Jerome to be alive, Jeremiah was behind it. He could be using this as a distraction to keep off of the trail of the escapees and whatever they are planning"

"There's a but coming, isn't there?" Harvey sighs, already knowing his partner's answer.

"But..." Gordon replies "...This is Gotham, and it wouldn't be the first time someone came back from beyond the grave, despite the circumstance. At this moment, we will have to operate under the assumption that Jerome does indeed...live again" Jim looks to Harvey.

Bullock face-palms "Why can't a good guy come back for once? I'll do anything for someone like Marilyn Monroe come back, now she a resurrection that I can behind" he looks to his side as the commissioner stands back up "How are we going to go about this one?"

"Hard to say" Jim confesses "If we alert the public, that could send Jerome's followers out looking for him or make it easy for him to find them. We need to keep this on the down-low. We can't risk scaring the public even more than they already are" Jim places a hand over Harvey's shoulder "Send out a BOLO for Jerome Valeska to the G.C.P.D" Jim's blinks in confusion as he feels the man's shoulders, it felt way too rough to be normal, even though Bullock's uniform.

"Uh...Jim. You okay, pal?" Harvey questions.

"Yeah, sorry...I'm just one edge lately" he removes his hand from the man's shoulder "I finally got permission to move Dent out of the precinct. I just need to tell him, Bruce already said that he was more than welcome to stay at his place for now. Once I'm done with the papers; I'll be escorting him there" The commissioner nods as he walks away from Harvey, sliding his hands into the pockets of his overcoat. Bullock's eyes narrow, and his face shows an annoyed expression.

"Damn it, the boss ain't going to like this" he spits.

The commissioner looks down to his sides as he hears his phone ring. Thinking that it was Lee, he pulls out his phone and flips it open and answers it. Seeing that is was an unknown number told him that it wasn't anyone that he knew "This is Commissioner James Gordon. Who may I ask that I am speaking to?"

"Greetings, Commissioner. I work at Gotham General and I have found something quite peculiar about one of the deceased patients. I know that you don't really get involved in matters like these, but I feel that you need to see this" an unfamiliar voice tells him.

"How peculiar?" James couldn't help but ask. With the looming dread of Jerome back, he had to take any lead that he could "What's the patient's name? And how did you get my personal number" he asks the man on the other end of the call.

"Please excuse the sudden intrusion. It was too important to wait around, I asked your wife and she gave me your direct number. The patient's name is an Alfred Pennyworth. He was brought in last night, but died during the operation"

"Alfred?" Jim whispers.

* * *

Selina kneels down in the middle of what seemed like an endless route in the woods "Are you sure about this, Lucius? Are sure that came back to this lair of his?" she brushes the dirt off what looked like a mental door planted in the ground. The sky over Gotham has darkened as time passed, what once was a light grey sky was now an almost black sky, full of clouds. The moon shines brightly over the night, it was made even more prevalent by the lack of starts in the sky.

"_The Batcave houses all of his important utilities, his belt can only hold so much. The only other entrance is in Wayne Manner and with his constant company there, he couldn't risk using the entrance there. Bruce was smart and thought ahead to install a second entrance here out back. It's so far out that no one could possibly stumble across it_" Lucius replies on the other end. Selina rolls her eyes as she brushes away the remaining layer of dirt that conceal that hatch.

"I honestly don't care about that. Did Bruce come back here?" she sees a keypad on the corner of the hatch, which looked like it was built into it "I need the access code" the dark-haired woman informs Lucius as she moves her hand close to it "The sooner we find out what Bruce is doing, the sooner we know how to prevent him from making a terrible mistake" she adds.

"_Of course, I want to make sure that he is alright too. Listen, Bruce is a very paranoid man when it comes to security, especially the *bat* kind. The passcode rotates on a twelve-hour basis. If the wrong code is entered, the hatch is welded closed. Going by today's date and time, the code should be...ah: 11,25,05, 12_ " Lucius replies.

"11,25,05, 12 ? What are they supposed to make a word or something?" she enters the code on the lock. The lock flashes green as it bleeps. Selina hears the sound of something moving from below, something on the lines of gears turning. She brings her hand down and grabs the handle and presses it down. hearing a click, she pulls up the handle and the hatch along with it. She stands back up and looks the stone steps that lead down into a narrow hallway that was lit up by blue lights going all the way down it. Unbeknownst to her before the hatch had time to close, a yellow-gloved hand takes hold of the handle and small chuckle escapes the lips of its wearer.

_"The numbers when converted in corresponding letters of the alphabet make the names of his most trust allies" _Lucius replies.

"Oh, let me guess. The code was *Dent*, right?" Selina walks down the steps and into the dimly lit corridor "Huh...didn't I already walk enough today?" she comments as she makes her way down the undergrounds. She has never been a fan of tight spaces, they made her feel so enclosed and that's something that cats dislike a lot. She needed enough space to be free, able to move how she liked. But traversing the narrow undergrounds put her in such a vulnerable position like she was trapped in a cage. Her movements were severely limited which means her options were too.

"_Actually the name is yours_"

"Oh...I'm one his most trusted friends? Cool" Selina keeps on track for almost five whole minutes. Her feet were starting to ache and the claustrophobia was starting to get the best of her, as hard as she tried to conceal her panicked state, she still found it harder to breathe, which was in her head as the oxygen around the place hasn't declined, it was just the same as when she first entered. She figured that Bruce would have fitted the underground.

She stops when she sees that the one long narrow hallway that she has been walking around splits into three separate paths. She lets out a loud sigh "I should've gone to the Manner and knocked out blondie. This whole thing is taking forever..." she groans, tapping her earpiece she looks back to the three diverging paths "Lucius, you could've told me about the maze down here. I know you told me that Bruce apricates his privacy, but this is getting ridiculous" her unbridled tone did wonders to express her discomfort.

"_Apologies, Bruce really is a perfectionist. Keep going straight, after a few minutes. You should run into another set of paths, this time take a right_" Lucius guides her.

"If I wasn't doing this for Bruce, I would turn back right this second" Selina takes the straight ahead and walks down the path "I'm lucky to have you talking in my ear like Jiminy Cricket, I would get completely lost without you" the dark-haired woman continues down the narrow hallway.

A few minutes later, and once Selina was out of sight. Joker walks down the narrow undergrounds with a blood-red smirk formed by his lips. He approaches the diverging paths. He slowly shakes his head and holds a cell phone to his ears "Which one is the true way?" he gives a light chuckle as awaits a response.

"_To the right, boss_" Lucius replies.

"Thank you, Mr Fox" Joker gives takes the right path "That chip in your head did you real good"

* * *

**Gotham General **

Jim Gordon walks through the ward, a barren area that was almost void of people, with the exception of a handful of patients and an even less number of nurses. He looks ahead as he sees a man walk towards him. He figures that he must be one of the doctors and the one who told him to come here. The Doctor was old, not near retirement old, but his hair was grey and he had his few shares of wrinkles. Dressed in a white lab coat over a dark-blue shirt.

The doctor holds out his hand towards the commissioner. Jim reaches out and shakes the man's hand "Thank you for coming, Commissioner. I know how busy you can be in a city like this. I'm Kirk Langstrom, I'm the head doctor on this floor. I hope you will understand that I would not have called you here if it wasn't important" Kirk lifts his hands towards one of the empty rooms "Please come with me" he and Jim walk into the room. Gordon slightly becomes nervous as he sees Langstrum lock the door and close the blinds to conceal them from the outside.

"Doctor?" Jim asks, slightly unnerved by the man's desire for such privacy.

"Sorry, but you are the only person that I can trust. You have a history of never giving into those criminals" Langstrum walks around Jim and stands next to one of the tables in the room with a folder on it "Listen, Commissioner. I know that you have had your fair share of...unusual happenings in your times, but I hope that you will pay this with that learned trust of the strange and unknown" Kirk opens the folder and takes out two x-ray scans.

"Doctor Langstrom, you told me that this has to do with Alfred Pennyworth? He was a good friend of mine, did you find anything that can lead to a suspect in his murder? Have you seen Bruce Wayne? I thought he would have been the one to tell me himself" Jim asks.

"Bruce Wayne was here, but I off shift. He was gone by the time that I clocked in, and for the death of Alfred Pennyworth...it wasn't a murder" Kirk answers as he places both of the X-Ray images under a lamp "During the operation, the staff noticed something unusual about him" Langstrom grabs Jim's arm and leads him closer to the pictures. Kirk points between them "So we decided to take a couple X-Rays to see if we could find out the problem, do you see the difference?"

Jim leans down at the two pictures, they both look to be an X-ray of someone's spine, one was slightly misshaped and slanted with a metal plate, but the other looked perfectly fine "One looks fractured" he comments as he looks over his shoulder to Kirk "Who does the second one belong to?"

"They were both taken from Alfred Pennyworth, one month apart. I usual had appointments with his every few months to check on his recovery, I would check his vitals and his spine. I took that one when I last saw him" Kirk points to the image of the fractured spine "I checked on how he was and how his movements were. Though he recovered greatly from his back injury, his movement was still halted. He couldn't run or compete in any activities that include sudden movements" the doctor looks back to Jim.

"What are you saying?" Gordon was slightly mistrustful of him.

"This one was taken a couple hours ago" Kirk points at the X-Ray of the perfectly looking spine "His spine was back to normal, perfect even. The metal plating for support is gone and looks like it was never planted there in the first place" the grey-haired man stresses "I thought that it was a body double, so I checked his fingerprints and it was Alfred's" Langstrom takes out another sheet from the folder and rests it over the X-Rays "A nearly perfect match"

"Nearly?" Gordon lifts an eyebrow.

Langstrom nods "On the surface, they are a perfect match, but looking more into it, the DNA almost comes off as corrupted. Some parts match Alfred's perfect, other parts are completely different" he points to the sheet which draws the commissioner's attention "Knowing the irregularities in this case we rushed to the post-mortem examination and found that several of his organs were heavily decayed, which was not the case when I last met with Mr Pennyworth, this kind of dissipation of one's organs is impossible in that time frame"

"What are you trying to say, Doctor?" Jim questions.

"This wasn't Alfred, it is impossible"

* * *

**Undergrounds**

Selina rolls her eyes as she looks at a dead end that was in front of her "Lucius...I'm at the end of the path. Are you sure that this is even the right way? I felt like I was walking away from Wayne Manner" she stresses, turning on her heels as she holds her earpiece "Hello? Lucius, I'm at a dead end. I have been walking for over thirty minutes for nothing...you best hope that I don't run into you while I'm mad" she retreads her steps as she heads towards the starting point of the undergrounds.

"Sorry for the delay, Selina. I had to deal with a couple people at Wayne Enterprise; Balancing my role of head of Research and Development and helping out Bruce can really be quite daunting at the time. You said that the path led to a dead end? Oh, that's right..." Lucius replies in a strange tone "Apologies, I have been so worried about everything that I only went at the read the blueprints backwards. Go back to the first divergence and take the right, then go straight ahead"

"Don't sweat it, Lucius. I'm worried about Bruce too" Selina understood the reason for Lucius' blunder. He is going through a lot with the loss of Alfred and the thought of losing Bruce too. Selina was under the same strain. Her thoughts were often clouded too, what should be easy to make decisions suddenly turn to looming calls of her own judgment that feels like she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Every thought she had suddenly felt heavier which weighed down her spirit "Just please try and keep yourself on track, I need all the help that I can get when it comes to getting Bruce back"

_"Don't worry. I'm here for you"_

Selina makes her way back and takes the path which she was told to. It felt like nearly an hour passes by as she keeps at it and eventually lands at another dead end, but this time, she could tell that there was something different about the wall. It looked way too clean, too new. She was sure that she had found the entrance to Bruce's supposed secret lair. She still had a hard time taking that seriously, it was hard for her to imagine that the man that she knew would have a hidden lair like in the movies.

She gently moves her hand over the surface of the wall "Lucius, I'm here, I think. If you would be so kind and tell me how to open it, it would be greatly apricated" she requests from the man on the other end of the line as she waits for him to answer.

"_You don't do anything, Selina. I'm opening it from my end, a moment please_"

"You can do that?" Selina says as she waits for him to do it,

"_The Batcave's systems are also run through me at Wayne Enterprise, they are just as mine as they are Bruce's_" the wall slowly splits apart and reveals another flight of stars which worked wonders to increase Selina's blood pressure. She coins a frown as she drags herself up to the metal stairs. Hearing the small clanks with each step that she took. Her feet were killing her, she wouldn't be surprised if she had a few blisters from today due to the amount of constant walking that she did, worse of all half of it wasn't even needed and only wasted her time.

"Oh, Lucius...how the hell does Bruce use that entrance on a daily basis?" Selina sighs.

"_He uses the Batcycle which the undergrounds were designed for_" Lucius replies as he hears a loud groan come from Selina.

"Why couldn't I use it? That would have this a cake walk" Selina wines as she reaches the top of the stairs and finds herself standing in a dimly lit room with blue lights surrounded the place. True to its name, Selina could see parts of a cave that intercepts the man-made metal platforms "Okay...this is actually cool. I will give him that" she thinks to herself. Her eyes look at a small laptop residing on a metal workbench a few metres from her.

"_The Batcycle was built to only work with the Batsuit. We didn't want a grant theft bat on our hands, especially with the amount that the thing costs_" Selina hears Lucius explain as she walks over to the laptop. She looks at its screen as sees a number of files, all open and they looked important. Selina looks around her, at any other point of interest. But at the moment the only thing that caught her eye was the laptop. She couldn't help but notice how low tech it was compared to the rest of everything in the lair.

"I think I found why Bruce was at that rundown Wearhouse, I'm guessing that he took this, which means he must have come back here at some point" Selina informs Lucius. She brings her hands to the keyboard as she looks through the files "Huh, these files look like they have something to do with that Black Mask fellow, Sophia Falcone...even stranger, there are files named: Operation: Knightfall, do you know what that is?" she inquires as she scrolls through the multiple tabs until she saw all of them.

"_Knightfall? Bruce told that it is a plan formed to kill him_"

"That would have been something useful to know beforehand" Selina walks over to a large screen that looked like to be built into the wall. Her green eyes look at the screen and she sees something that she was not expecting. It a cornucopia of pictures, all of Jerome Valeska which drew her suspicion as she knew that he has been dead for quite some time. For a split second, she thought that they could be pictures of his brother, but she quickly dismisses the idea as she sees Jerome's name on the pictures.

"I think I found something...I think that Bruce is looking for Jerome Valeska...which is impossible..." Selina hears footsteps from behind her "Bruce, I am so glad that you-" she turns her head only to be whacked across the face with a handgun. Selina was knocked to the ground as she looks up ghoulish-looking man with grins at her "Jeremiah? How the hell did you-" she was knocked to the ground again by the handgun. Joker stands over her and lets loose a small chuckle.

"Oh sweetie, oh poor little sweetie...I have my ways" Joker kneels down and softly brushes the handgun across Selina's right cheek "I wasn't planning on having company, but I guess poor little Bruce must have finally gone batty. See, I was just coming here to see to business, but I then found out that my brother kidnapped Bruce's butler and killed him. That bastard stole my thunder" Joker shrugs as he looks behind him "...That would be the case...if that was really Bruce's pristine butler, luckily for me I made sure to make a switch so none of the others could outdo me"

"What the hell are you talking about? Lucius! Jeremiah is-" Selina screams. Joker raises an eyebrow as he brings his left hand around her neck and squeezes. Joker grins as he lifts the handgun in his other hand and gently waves it around. Selina's face reddened by the lack of oxygen.

"I could kill you right and now, but Bruce won't be able to see it...so you should count yourself lucky. So here's the deal, Bruce thinks that my dear brother killed his butler and has gone on the path of revenge. If we don't hurry, he will end up breaking his golden rule and may kill Jerome" Joker slants his head as he moves the gun under the woman's cheek "And we can't have that. The game hasn't even started and Bruce is already losing it" he relaxes his grip on her neck, giving Selina enough air to talk.

"Why should I trust a single word that you say after all that you have done, all the sick and twisted things, you shot me in the spine, crippled me! You would want to break Bruce the most, you would love for Bruce is break his rule and start killing" she spits.

"Of course I would, but only if I am responsible for it, that's our special bond...and I will not let anyone take that away from us" Joker leans closer to Selina "I remember you...well I think I do. Everything before the chemical bath is...all a blur. Some parts are as clear as day but other parts are outright gone from my mind" he licks his lips "It's hard to tell just what is real and what isn't? As this Jeremiah that I was once...I don't recall him, was he even real? Am I even real?" Joker rolls his eyes to the side "Does it even matter? In the grand schemes of things, will we even matter? I rather not wait to find out...I will make my own mark on history"

"You're crazy..." Selina hisses.

"Oh dear, flattery will not get you anywhere" Joker tilts his head "As I was saying before you rudely interrupted, Bruce is going to go and try and kill my brother, so here's the plan. You are going to stop him, we can't have Bruce breaking his golden before the main event, can we?" he grins "Jerome should only have a couple more days in him at most, so you can be damn sure that he will want to go out with a bang, and knowing him, he'll try to outclass me. Go...and stop him, stop Bruce and go off into the sunset for your happy ever after...until I come and kill you..."

"What's to stop me from killing you right now? I will tell Bruce about you..., where is the real Alfred? You better tell me if you know what is good for you" Selina narrows her eyes.

"In due time...once I take my turn. You will see, and you won't be telling Bruce about this little encounter...since you won't remember it. I have already rigged the board to my favour, now I can take Bruce's luscious queen...oh yes...you will do quite nicely..." Joker turns his head "Oh...Mr Tetch would you please introduce yourself to the lovely lady?" Joker chuckles. Selina looks as she sees another man step out from the cover in front of her.

"Callooh callay, a new friend to play! Oh dear, I hope you can withstand my little game as you will soon enter wonderland" The Mad Hatter rubs his palms together. He reaches into his front pocket and pulls out a metal stopwatch "Oh please do pay attention, as we reform you to your reinvention! Tick Tock, keep your eyes on the clock, I will tell you when to stop!" Jervis cheers.


	19. The Perfected Art of Making Enemies

**The Perfected Art of Making Enemies **

* * *

It was the dead of night, a quiet, cruel and ruthless time which was known by every person who lived in the city of Gotham. Outsiders were led to believe that the city was a dangerous place during all hours of both the day and night, though that was true, they did not know that with the darkness sweeping the city came the true monsters of Gotham, the true villains of the city, the creatures that thrive in the cast of the dark which floods the already broken city into an even more brutal fight for one's survival.

In a remote, isolated and vacant street was a black limousine that drives along, with blacked out windows. From within the pristine vehicle sat a woman with dark long-flowing hair, she was dressed in a black business suit with white gentle stripes. Sitting opposite her was a man, slightly overweight, with his black hair slicked back and his crooked teeth forming into a not too pleasant smile towards the woman. Sophia Falcone and Tony Zuko look at each other, seeing and knowing what the other one was thinking.

They never get along well enough to hold a single conversation between them, not without having someone needing to stand in as their talks quickly became a childish match of insults and sometimes telling the other that they were more successful than the other. So they took any time they agreed with each other as a sign that hell was about to break loose, and *hell* usually meant the forthcoming of a threat to destroy their crime syndicates, and that was indeed the one thing that they agreed on most.

"This whole thing has become one giant disaster" Sophia stresses "When Roman showed us that file about the plans for the breakout, I thought that he was kidding. He even said that it was only meant as an intimidation tactic to get the cops off of our backs if they got too close to our operations" she lifts a single eyebrow to showcase her utter disbelief that such a reckless act actually occurred "Let's face it, Sionis is losing control. You know when Great White Shark left town, I was ecstatic as we could have a larger share of Gotham's underworld, however, Sionis has gotten cold feed and has given in to becoming the errand boy of the *you-know-who*" she rolls her eyes.

"Sionis has already played turkey for a long time now, and he's being overcooked to boot. You, me and Sionis were all willing to follow the boss's orders, just think about what he promised us? All we have to do is follow his orders and make his plan happen, and we will rule Gotham for eternity. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a no-brainer" Tony shrugs.

"I agreed to go along with this prophecy of his because I was had no choice. Batman has single handily done millions of damages to my operations, he takes out my men and makes me look incompetent which is not a look that I like to have. Sooner or later my men would have disbanded from me to work for Sionis, and he would have ordered me to be killed" Sophia rubs her nose and glares to Tony "You and Sionis may have also been hurt by the bat's actions, but compared to me, you are missing pocket change"

"Maybe if you weren't so arrogant and kept purposely tryin' to agonise the commissioner; you wouldn't have the much of a problem with keeping low. I get that his gal shot you in the head and all, but look, you are alive. Strange made sure that you were as good as new, so you really should let go of your grudge of him" the man offered the best advice that came to his mind as he shares another smile, a closed mouth one, a very smug one which shows just how superior that he thinks of himself compared to her.

"Killing him will bring way too much-unwanted attention my way. I would be the prime suspect, everyone and their grandma knows just how much I hate him, even with that, Batman is our prime focus for the moment. That son of a bitch is going to pay for every nickel that he has cost me. I will personally see to it that he will suffer for. single. one" her once calm tone slowly pitches into a venomous one, one full of anger and disdain for both of the men that have crossed her path.

"Woah there, you are getting way too personal with the freak. I say that we get it over and done with, none of that funny business of putting him in a situation where he could escape. We do it quick and fast, nothing fancy, but quick"

"People need to learn that they do. not. mess. with. us. He and the commissioner do not deserve a quick death, they deserve to be ripped apart and slowly, painfully die - I want to see them choke on their last breaths knowing that they should have never crossed me - I will not settle for anything less than that" the dark-haired woman hisses which leaned Tony to the idea of not poking the hornets nest anymore. He knows that with any more attempts to piss her off would only result in his own disadvantage.

"Good luck with that one, it's not like Batman is just going to find you, he is way too busy with those crazy bastards"

"He will find me, I'm not someone that he can just ignore...and when he does...I will be ready"

The black limousine drives over a bridge where a bat-shaped metal object was thrown into the windshield and knocks against the driver's head; knocking him out as he head plants down on the stirring wheel. His foot was pressed against accelerator peddle which greatly increased the speed that they were going at; causing it to ramp over the bridge's surface.

Sophia and Tony both look over to the now broken windshield and at the unconscious driver "What the hell was that!?" Tony yells, clearly annoyed as he begins to realize who was behind it, but before he could tell the woman, the roof of the limousine was dented heavily as it appeared that something - or someone had landed upon it from high up "YOU JUST HAD TO JINX IT, DIDN'T YOU?"

"I'll deal with this" Sophia pulls out a handgun from under her coat and aims at the roof "Let's see if you are as good as they say!" she yells as she fires an entire clip at the roof. The bullets pierce through the roof and towards the one on it. From outside, the dark knight was clinging to the roof as the limousine was spiralling out of control, drifting from left to right, skidding against the road. He rolls over onto his sides as the bullets were unleashed; piecing all across the roof.

the shadowy figure laches onto the sides of the black vehicle. Using the fins on his gauntlets to cut into the limousine to support his weight. His cape was thrown like a ragdoll against the fast movements that both he and the limousine were being exposed to. He slowly reaches towards one of the doors to the vehicle and rips it open which revealed to him a very scared Tony Zuko who gulps at the sight of the shadowed figure. The vigilante grabs him by the shoulder and throws him out of the moving limo.

Zuko screams as he was thrown onto the harsh, hard and unforgiving road at the speed that he was. His body rolled, over and over. His body was burned by the friction of his collision against the ground at such a speed. He cries, withers and screams over and over until his body eventually stops moving, losing all of its momentum from the sudden actions. He lies against the road, on his front as blood rushes from his head. He was still conscious, he could still think but unfortunately, all of his thoughts were used to remind him of the agonising pain that he was in, his suit was ruined, torn and ripped all over. His eyes look to the limo that steady drives out of his line of vision.

Meanwhile, Sophia Falcone scoots backwards as she sees the dark knight climb his way into the backseats with her. She lifts her handgun and attempts to fire at him, but with she soon realizes that she was out of ammo and was completely valuable to him "Come and get it" she kicks at him from her seated position. Batman grabs her ankle in mid-kick and drags her off of her seat and onto the floor. Sophia looks as she sees the vigilante looks at the briefcase that was placed near where she was previously sitting.

He reaches over and grabs the briefcase by the handle. His head turns towards the open door and he leaps out of it; leaving Sophia alone. She breathes heavily as she relishes in the fact that the man was gone, but was also full of dread that he took the briefcase, which he shouldn't even know about.

On the road ahead, several more Batarangs were thrown, but this time at the road itself as they cut into the ground and stand up. The limo speeds over them; slicing all of its tires. The sudden motion threw the vehicle over as it rolls against the road. Sophia and the driver were both thrown around with each movement. The limo rolls over and was left upside down as smoke slowly exits through the engine. The dark-haired woman coughs as she tries to regain her composure, she slowly crawls out of the now broken limo, blood dripping down her forehead and mouth.

Her eyes look forward to a pair of black armoured boots in front of a black cape that slowly swerves "If you know what is good for you...you better kill me right here and now before I will have the chance to make you suffer for this! I WILL KILL YOU!" Sophia spits blood at the man's boot. Looking at the man in question, she could hardly see him thanks to the same cloak of the night that hides her from Gotham, they both flourished in darkness, they were made for it.

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

**2 32 PM**

**[2 Days Until Operation: Knightfall]**

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Hello?"

"Darlin', you uh...you okay?"

"Yoo-hoo, anyone home?"

Selina's eyes open to the sight of Harleen leaning over her as they both look into the others' eyes. She bats her eyes and takes a moment before jumping up onto her feet and off of the sofa. Harleen jumps back from the unexpected agile motion from the other woman. Harleen holds her hand over her chest and holds a smile with her lips "You're still breathin', that's good. You had me worried for a sec, I thought I was sharing the room with a dead person and since this the livin' room...that woulda been a lil' awkward"

"How long have I been out?" Selina holds her forehead as she feels what she could only describe as the leftovers of a huge hangover, she had never felt such a mind grain in her life, her thoughts were fuzzy, they all blurred together, making them impossible to distinguish one from another.

"Uh...I honestly don' know. You were here when I came down, you musta come here sometime in the night, cuz you sure as hell weren't here when I went to bed" Harleen informs Selina. The blonde was dressed in a red sweater and black skirt with black leggings. She wasn't wearing her gasses which have her blue eyes more room to be seen and noticed. Harleen sees the woman's clear sign of pain "Are you gonna be alright? Cuz I'm just a psychologist, medical stuff is not my thing. I think that you oughta see a doctor or somethin'"

"I'm fine...have you seen Bruce? I've been searching for him, and I am not having any luck"

"Afraid not, I haven't seen him since he stormed off to find Alfred, Bruce said somethin' 'bout Jerome Valeska, I'm gussin' that he went off to find him, but apart from that; I haven't seen Bruce" Harleen answers as she sees Selina having trouble standing "I gotta feelin' that you are kinda goin' through some sorta trip. You really should seek for medical help, I have my own past with drinkin' and I sure as hell never turned down the chance to get rid of my hangover"

"I'm not drunk...I just need...a moment to gather my thoughts"

"Riiiigggghhhhhhttttttt" Harleen lifts her eyebrows and folds her arms "You waltz into this place, crash out on the couch, an' can't remember what you were up to, you can't even think clearly" the blonde sarcastically humours Selina "Can't you at least recall last night? That would be a great starin' point"

"Again, I ain't been drinking, understood? I was searching for Bruce somewhere and then...then...my mind just goes blank...It's like the memory was ripped right out of my head, even feels like it" Selina rubs her forehead with both of her hands as the words "...Find Bruce...stop Batman" were whispered into her ears, full of temptation and she was in no state of mind to fight against them. She was planning on finding Bruce anyway "...Stop Batman from killing..., you must go and stop him, save...Bruce...save...Bruce" the words plague her mind.

"I...I need to get some air, you stay here and stay out of trouble"" Selina heads towards the exit of the room.

Harleen hears Selina leave the manner. She hears the door close behind her and with that the blonde smirks "I don't believe it...she actually didn't see you, Mistah J" she turns her head to Joker who grins back to her, now wearing his purple overcoat "How...how...did you manage to pull off such a fancy trick? You were standin' right in front of her the whole time and she didn't even bat an eye your way, even when you got real close and started whispering in her ear"

"She already didn't see things my way...so I thought...why-the-hell-not? Let's have her commit to that perception. I had Tetch hypnotise her to stop her from seeing me, but my voice is still just as haunting to her, I can plant little ideas into her grey matter and have her think that they are her own" the ghoulish man replies with a small chuckle "Sometimes, I even amaze myself to my creativity. Being the little devil on her shoulders sure as hell s going to be amusing...well for me, her? Not so much"

"I still don't know why you needed to get Tetch involved. I've got plenty of experience with using hypnosis. I coulda done that for you as well"

"Oh, Harley, oh Harley...if I kept you for your talents...I wouldn't keep you at all..." he rests his gloved hand on the skin of Harleen's neck "Just stick to being a good little girl, okay? You are meant to be my personal trojan horse Bruce accepts with his opens arms with his foolhardy nature of always wanting to see the good in people" Joker explains.

"Does that mean that I get to slit his throat while he's sleeping?" she snaps her teeth together with a prurient gaze that she aims at the man stood in front of her.

"You lay a finger on him...and so help me, woman...I won't be able to keep my hands off of you" Joker brings his other hand around Harleen's neck "I may...just...I don't know...I thought that I lost him before...I don't know what I would do without him...he...makes me...feel...complete, you could never understand our bond...you never experienced the rush of knowing that you found your soulmate, your other half, someone that needs you just as much as you need them" the ghoulish man let loose a small chain of laughter.

"I do" she looks up to the man in awe, "I think that I do"

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

**3: 03 PM**

"Dent, come on. You're being moved" Jim Gordon tells his friend as he slides the cell's door open. He looks to Harvey Dent, still dressed in the same clothes from a few nights ago. Gordon realizes that he must have been wearing those same clothes the entire time that he was held in the precinct. Harvey looked to the ground, silent as he fiddles with the coin in his hand, flipping it over, rubbing it between his thumb and index finger "C' mon, Dent. Didn't you hear me? I said that we're moving you. Bruce has already signed you to stay at Wayne Manner"

"This quickly? I know that you pulled the same strings for Harleen, but why me?" Dent questions, standing up and following Gordon out of the cell "I'm not a witness to a crime, I have no information that could lead to an arrest and I got a feeling that the corrupt cops in here made sure to make proving my innocence a pipe dream" Jim rests one of his hands over the man's shoulders as he leads him into a hallway. He looks around for any sign of other officers.

"You're not safe here, I doubt that even I am at the moment" Jim turns to face Harvey, "I think I know who is the source of corruption in this place. I thought that it would be a high ranking member, someone who can get into places that other officers couldn't without drawing suspicion. That's when it hit me, I know it wasn't me, so it had to be the man under me..."

"Bullock? That's crazy, Bullock did have his history of corruption, but he hasn't been like that for a long time" Dent was in denial of such a thing actually being real.

"I got a bad feeling that isn't Bullock, he's been acting strange lately...he sided with Harleen to have her placed in Wayne Manner without taking the time to think over just what an idiotic plan that is. I noticed that he hasn't had his flask on him lately either. The Bullock that I know doesn't go anywhere without it. He would forget his pants before he would leave his flask at home, and most telling of all...he doesn't have the bad body odor that he usually sports"

"Now that you mention it...that does sound quite strange, but still such a transfer on short notice can't possibly be legal- Oh...I see. You're forcing my transfer to get me out of here and someone where I have a chance of not being murdered in the dead of night, but this is bound to draw suspicion?" Harvey questions.

"From who? The Mayor?"

"Ah...good point"

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise **

**4: 28 PM**

"And you say that you don't remember what happened after that?" Lucius looks to Selina who sat over the man's desk. She still held her head tightly as her mind was still hurting, nowhere near as much as it was earlier, but still quite bad "I can't be of much help here either, Selina. The last thing I know was that you were entering the undergrounds of Wayne Manner towards Bruce's...man cave, you mentioned that Bruce was looking for Jerome Valeska and than...you just went quiet"

"That can't be it, Lucius. I remember all of that, but nothing of what happened after. I don't even know how I got into Wayne Manner" the dark-haired woman stressed as she clenches her face "It's like everything after that moment was just ripped out of my head and was very poorly put back together, I know that something important happened, but for the life of me, I just can recall it. It's like whenever I am close to remembering it, it is just ripped away even further"

"Sounds quite serious, are you sure that you are still up to finding Bruce? If your next encounter with him goes as well as your last one...you may need to put a fight, and with all due respect, Selina. I don't think that you are in the right set of mind to put up any worthwhile fight or even talk sense into him" Lucius tries to reason with the woman, but he knew full well just how stubborn that she can be, nowhere near as Bruce, but still enough to cause all kinds of trouble for both her and the ones around her.

"Yes, I'm fine. My head only really hurts when I think back to last night, otherwise, I'm all good to go" she pushes herself up off of the desk and looks to Lucius "Gordon. If there is one person that Bruce can trust just as much as Alfred...it's Gordon. I should try to get him to try to talk some sense into him, Bruce will listen to him - the only problem is to do it without letting Gordon know that Bruce jumps around rooftops and beats up bad guys for a hobby"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? How are you planning to get Gordon involved without him learning about Bruce's identity?"

"Listen, I don't know, okay? We're running out of options. This Knightfall is supposed to happen in less than two days, Bruce has completely lost it and has gone a rampage - beating the hell out of anyone that could lead him to Jerome - Alfred...is...gone, so you need to excuse the fact that I haven't really had the time to think clearly, okay?" Selina sighs, looking away from the man "...I just want to stop Bruce from making a terrible mistake..."

"Even though you would choose to kill Jerome if you had the choice, right?" Lucius holds his arms tightly to his chest "I appreciate you doing this, Selina. I know that you must hate knowing that you are going to be inadvertently saving the life of that mad man, I am well aware that must be eating you up inside"

"You got that right, I hate that I have to do this. If it was up to me...I will make sure that the bastard is put back into his grave...for good. But I can't let Bruce cross that line, I've seen what happens to him when he does...it's not a pleasant sight, Lucius" she turns to face Lucius once more "I'm not going to let Bruce throw away everything that Alfred had taught him...not like this, I can't let Bruce betray himself...he would never be able to forgive himself"

"Well...better get a move one, because Bruce now has an entire night head start over..." Lucius eyes gander over to the television attached to the wall of his office. He slowly tilts his head which Selina noticed as she too looks at the screen. Lucius grabs the remote from his desk and turns up the volume "Oh my..."

"_This...this is...this is the Gotham Gazette, I am your host: Jack Ryder, and we have...have uh...uh...special guest in the studio with us.._." Jack Ryder, a brown-haired man with a pair of glasses shakes along with each word that he says. Dressed in a blue shirt under a brown sweater with one single horizontal yellow stripe across it. He nervously taps a cluster of papers against his desk and was clearly sweating "_We would like to...take the honour to uh...introduce…_"

"_Oh get on with it...the anticipation is killlliiinnnnggggg mmmmeeeeeee, actually it is going to be killing you if you don't get eh move on,_" another voice tells the man from off the screen.

Jack steadily nods as he acknowledges the other man "_Please bring a round of applause for...for...Jerome Valeska_" the camera moves across to capture both Jack and Jerome who held a shotgun to the man's head with his finger pressed on the trigger. The redhead's hair was slicked up and he was dressed in a red shirt under a yellow waistcoat with a dark-red tailcoat and white gloves. His face looked like that it has been cut as all around his face were small marks that look like that they were made by a small knife.

"_How'd you doing?_" Jerome grins as he slowly wags his fingers at the camera and to everyone that watched him "'_Ello kiddies, did you miss me? Cuz I sure missed you. Your eyes do not deceive you, Jerome Valeska is back and all ready to make up for lost time...so...for all those loyalists of mine!... Looks like you had the right idea_" he chuckles.

"_Mr Valeska...may I ask you what you have planned? Maybe a tease...or something...?_"

_"Good thinking, Bob..."_

_"Uh...I'm Jack..."_

_"Whose the one with the gun?"_

_"Eh...Bob, it is"_

"_Good. Now you all may be wondering just what mental scheme that I have planned, right? Well...sorry to disappoint you all, but this is a VIP event only_" Jerome rests his left arm on the desk "_I want Bruce Wayne D-E-A-D an' I wanna be the chap to do it. Brucie shouldn't have any problems with coming to me considering that we recently crossed paths..._" Jerome's eyes narrow "_What says you Brucie? You wanna go on a play date with yours truly...I promise that it was a killer time..."_

_"You coming here and showing yourself to the city is a foolish thing to do! You are aware that Batman will have no problem taking you down"_

"_Batman? Batman? Batman? Why is everyone just so hellbent on bringing up that guy? I couldn't care less about him, this is about me settling a score between me and Brucie, if Batman shows up too...well I guess that's just even more entertainment, but right now I only care about killing poor old Bruce_" Jerome snickers "_To all my loyal followers out there, you know who you are! Do good old papa Jerome a favour and go wild - cause some hell and for you Jimbo? Don't think that I have forgotten 'bout you...I have plans for you too..._"

_"You won't get away with this...Batman will stop you"_

_"Uh-huh, sure thing, Bob. So Brucie...you remember where we last fought? I hear that the circus is back in town...what do you say? For old times sake...I heard that its been abandoned a while back and would make the perfect place four our play date?_"

"He...just announced his plan and where he's heading to the whole city!? That's crazy...even for him" Lucius stammers. Selina folds her arms and steps forward. Her eyes reflect the image of the crazy redhead. She sees the same evil that plagued his brother's eyes. The resemblance was uncanny to her.

"No, that's clever. He's bringing Bruce to him...where he will have the home-field advantage, no doubt that he has already set up shop there, and Bruce is no doubt going to willingly walk into that trap" she turns on her heels to face the man "I need to get to the circus before Bruce can and stop Jerome. That transmission must have caught Gordon's eyes too, he is sure to show up too" she heads towards the door to the room "I can already tell that I won't make it there before him"

"Not without any help, Bruce keeps most of his non-bat themed vehicles down in the garage down below. He has a whole floor to himself, and I got a feeling that you are going to enjoy the...exotic collection that he has" Lucius informs the dark-haired woman who lifts an eyebrow.

"Exotic?"

Selina presses her heel down on the pedal of the grey-tuned motorcycle as she wears a dark-blue helmet with a chrome-tinted as she drives out into the streets of Gotham. The sky was a dullish foggy grey and the roads themselves were barely inhabited by only a handful of vehicles. She presses the heel of her boot against the pedal once again to increase her speed as she drives down the street, away from Wayne Enterprise _"The circus that Jerome mentioned is a few hours out, and out of Gotham city's limits. I recommend going at a steady pace of forty miles per hour once you leave the city's limits, that way you should only take around eighty minutes and will not draw the attention of any cops outside the limits"_

"Thanks, Lucius. I'm going to bring Bruce home, I promise..." she turns a corner. Unbeknownst to her from high above, a black cape swerves across the rooftops as the silhouetted figure grapples across from building to building, his long cape moves with each leap, like a pair of wings that elevate him from perch point to perch point as the sickly sky looms over the city. Rain begins to slowly pour down from high above, splashing all over the grounds and surfaces of the buildings as they gradually become much more hard-hitting and faster drops, eventually culminating into a storm with lightning that strikes across the skyline. As the dark knight leaps over the next rooftop, lightning strikes down behind him; for a split second revealing the vigilante with the flash of light.

* * *

**Meanwhile at Wayne Manner**

"So...this is my new prison? I got to say...there are certainly worse alternatives" Dent makes a passing remark as he and Jim sit down on the couch as they look to Harleen who was crashed out on her own sofa with one of the books that she took from the shelves across the room placed over her eyes as she snores. Dent moves both of his wrists, making the most of the feeling of them no longer being restrained from the cold-metal handcuffs. There were marks that circle all the way around them as a reminder of framing.

"You're not a prisoner here, Dent. Me and Bruce both know you're innocent. You are a free man here where no one in the public eye can find you. Bruce made sure that you would be taken here the very moment it became an option. He made this happened...that doesn't sound like a man who doesn't trust you" Jim leans forward, holding his palms together "...I've tried reaching out to him, I tried calling him all night since the moment I found out about...Alfred..., but I haven't gotten much luck"

"I couldn't believe it either, Alfred meant so much to him...like a second father, I can't imagine having something as important as that being taken away from me...I doubt I would be able to deal with that" Harvey tilts his head to Jim "Maybe Bruce just needs time...time to heal, enough time to get his thoughts together"

"Trust me, Harvey...Bruce has never been one to deal with loss easily. Just knowing that he could be feeling the same as the boy I met in Crime Ally...scares me. Bruce has done everything he could for this city, and this is what he gets in return" the commissioner lowers his head "It makes me think if the world is even fair. In this city, it is always the good men and women that have to suffer for their good deeds, and the bad men and women to flourish for their crimes...what kind of city is that?"

"One that we all vowed to save, and I know Bruce...he will never give up on Gotham nor the people that got him to where he is today. Once he has healed...he is bound to get back to saving the city, he will come out in the light as the son of Gotham, he, you and I will bring about a new age in Gotham, an age where kids will feel safe playing outside, a city where good men and women will not suffer for standing up for what is right, a new Gotham that will not bend the knee to criminals - it is because of Bruce that our dream can finally to be a reality"

Gordon looks down as he feels his phone vibrate. He pulls it out from his overcoat and flips it open and sees a message from Lee *Check News ASAP!*. Gordon stands up and grabs the remote from the glass table between the two couches and turns the TV on and browses to the channel. The Commissioner almost drops the remote as he sees what Lee was warning him about. Harvey leans forward next to Jim as he too shared the same shocked expression.

They see Jerome smiling as he eerily looks to the camera " "_To all my loyal followers out there, you know who you are! Do good old papa Jerome a favour and go wild - cause some hell and for you Jimbo? Don't think that I have forgotten 'bout you...I have plans for you too..."_

_"You won't get away with this...Batman will stop you"_

_"Uh-huh, sure thing, Bob. So Brucie...you remember where we last fought? I hear that the circus is back in town...what do you say? For old times sake...I heard that its been abandoned a while back and would make the perfect place four our play date?_"

"Jim...that was Jerome Valeska...how is that even...possible?" Harvey Dent had to do a double check just to make sure that he wasn't just seeing things. The Commissioner holds his hands in the pockets of his overcoat and turns to Dent.

"I know...his grave was dug up yesterday...we were led to believe that it was just what little was left of his cult just playing a trick on us as a final laugh, but I had a dark feeling that he was really back, I have never felt as uneasy as when he's around...even his brother doesn't creep me out nearly as much" Gordon sighs, looking to the now static screen "So that must mean...that...that he was the one who killed Alfred..." he says, clearly knowing the truther behind the Alfred who died, but he was told to keep it hidden and so he was going to follow that instruction.

"You should probably go and stop him, he called Bruce to come to him, and with the pain that he is feeling right now...he may actually go there. I'll be fine here" Dent tells Jim. The commissioner nods as he rushes out of the room and out of the mansion; leaving Dent alone with the sleeping Harley. He pulls out his phone and dials it. He holds it to his ear and begins to pace around the room "Listen, Bruce. It's me...I just wanted to tell you that I was moved to Wayne Manner...Bruce..., I know that you are hurting Bruce...Alfred was a great men, one in a billion, but please...don't go to confront Jerome...he wants that. He wants to use your anger against you - this is all just a game to him, and he usually plays for keeps..." Dent worriedly speaks as he leaves his voicemail.

He turns his back to the presumed sleeping Harleen as she looks out from under the cover of the book as a smile forms on her lips.

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise Tower**

**5: 11 PM**

Lucius sat behind his desk as he looks through a pile of papers "Okay, Selina. I can see that you are around the city's limits, keep going on the same road and then take the first left on the highway, after that you should only take another thirty or so minutes to each the circus" he takes one of the papers and places it on the bottom of the pile and turns his attention to the new sheet on top "Make sure to keep an eye out for any trouble, no doubt that Jerome has gathered his loyal followers to cause as much...anarchy as possible"

_"I'll keep on the lookout for any sign of them. Hey, Lucius. If Bruce would need to use the Batmobile or Batcycle to get there before me...shouldn't you be able to tell when he is using them? That should give me an idea of how much time I have"_ Selina asks from the other end.

"About that...Bruce must have figured that I was assisting you in this endeavour and locked me out of the Batcave's systems. He really doesn't want to be helped" Lucius reveals.

"_Personally speaking. The people who don't want help are usually the ones who need it the most"_

Lucius lifts his head from the papers as he hears a small number of knocks on his office. He stiffens up as he sees Talia enter with a folder held between her arm and sides. Her green eyes look over to Lucius and coins an intrigued look at the man. Lucius taps his earpiece "Selina, I have something to sort out. Keep me updated on anything developments" he takes the pile of papers and shoves them into the top drawer of his desk. He stands up out of his chair and brushes his suit off.

"Mr Fox, would you like to tell me what is so important that you must ignore messages?" Talia lifts an eyebrow as she walks over to Lucius' desk and throws the folder onto it. She turns around and sits down on the desk, crossing her legs and holding her chin up with the back of her left hand "Just like yourself, I am quite a busy person, I have my own things to oversee. So I would appreciate it if you actually took my calls instead of letting your secretary do all the talking for you"

"I would throw an apology your way, but I only like to do that when its sincere" Lucius picks up the file that the woman had dropped on the table and opens it "What's this? How the hell did you get access to this classified information? Only I and Mr Wayne should have it" Lucius ponders through multiple blueprints of all of Bruce's vigilante devices. He turns his head to her "This should be kept down in research and development, in the secret one in the tower, the one which needs personal handprints to access, and you sure as hell shouldn't be one of them"

"Bruce and I have a mutual agreement when it comes to trust. We may not be in line with the ways we go about things, but we can trust that we get them done in our own way" Talia bats her eyes and leans towards Lucius "He gave me access to it himself and that's why I have some concerns, concerns that I don't think bringing to the board's attention is a good idea, so my options were limited"

"And those concerns are?" Lucius inquires as he looks through the blueprints, sure enough, most of their projects were there. The Batcave layout, the entrances, the Batmobile, the Batcycle and even for a new aircraft that hasn't been finalized yet.

"Glad that you asked. See those lovely...secretive...and quite damning fires towards Bruce. So would you like to tell me just how these little things were found by one of my men? They were just found in one of the mob's Wearhouse - out in the open?" Talia rolls her eyes as she stands up and snatches the files away from Lucius "If only you, me, Bruce and Alfred have access to the files, then who was the one who took them out of the building? I know that it wasn't me, wasn't Bruce, couldn't have been Alfred...so...that only leaves you..." she steps closer taps Lucius' chest.

"Are you accusing me of betraying Bruce? I don't care how much he *trusts* you, I sure as hell have half the mind to throw you right out of this building" Lucius crosses his arms and glares at Talia "Let's get one thing straight, Miss...Ducard. Bruce is finally doing something to clean up Gotham, and I would never endanger that. He's the reason why I have hope for my son to actually have a peaceful life"

"I have no doubt that you are fully supportive of Bruce and his antics, but I never said that you willingly would do such an act of betrayal, a man with your morals would need to quite the convincing to cross that line...like something that can take away your will..." from behind she reaches her hand towards the cables to the computers.

"What are you getting at? I am a very busy man, I need to-"

"Mr Fox, when I told Bruce that the League of Shadows is all over the city, I meant it. Including this very building and they told me some very...interesting things about your activities here. Every so often you would just vanish from the room without being seen leaving the office. And if you were just as loyal as you claim, I doubt that you would do such a reckless act that could shine light upon both of Bruce's and your activities, right?" Talia smirks.

She rips out the cables from the computer and rams them in the back of the man's head; electrocuting him and knocking him unconscious as he slants over onto the desk. Talia walks around to the other side and looks at the scorch marks on the back of his head "I knew about the chip in your head. Don't worry you should be fine after you get some rest" she sits down into the chair behind the desk and smirks "Worry not, my people made sure that no one will disturb us. Sorry about the whole frying you thing, but it was the only to destroy the chip without making a mess"

* * *

**The Batcave **

**5: 26 PM**

A pair of armoured gloved hands graze over a group of files, clearly not meant to seen by him or anyone except for Sophia Falcone and her most trusted allies. He looks to one of the sheets, in particular, one that looked like it had the picture of a unique looking meteor on it that was taken from one of the space satellites. His interest greatly increased as he realizes that the only satellite powerful enough to take such an image would be his very own Wayne Enterprises one.

His fingers brush past the text beside the image; reading that it was estimated to be around over a year out from Earth and that is was predicted to land in Gotham. Looking from the information at hand, he sees that it is not a regular meteor, it also didn't resemble the ones that hit Smallville over two decades ago. This one was completely unique and Batman was absolutely stumped about its origins. He made a mental note to follow up on this case later.

When he went after Sophia Falcone, he was hoping to get information of Jerome, whether that being his whereabouts or his next move, he didn't imagine that she would have this in her possession, it made him think that the meteor must be important to her and the other crime bosses of Gotham. He really had no idea of what it could entail, but all he knew at the moment was that he didn't have the time to investigate it, he was still angry, hurting and shocked by it all.

_"Hello, Brucie! This is your hourly reminder! Come to the carnival, we can have a picnic! We can go bumper carting! Heck...the tunnel of love? Please...don't keep me waiting, little Brucie...I miss you that frown of yours! Be there before 9...any later...and I will get bored...and I don't like getting bored! But I hope that you will see my plan as something...not to take lightly...something with more to it then just a another trip_" Jerome's voice booms from the Batcomputer, being broadcasted all around the city.

The vigilante didn't even turn his head, he remains still, stationary.

His eyes look over to the side where his phone was placed. He reaches for his cowl and pulls it down over his head; revealing his face, his hair was still slicked back, but there were a lot more out of place strands on both the sides and the front. The bags under his eyes were much more noticeable as anyone from a mile away could see them. Bruce found it so strange how the reality of his condition only hits him when he removes his cowl, it's someone takes over him whenever he is in the suit, like something possesses him, something that takes away all the tiredness, the bruises and the jolted and misplaced breaths. Sometimes he wished that he could stay as Batman forever and just let Bruce Wayne go.

He uses his gloved left hand to pick up the phone and holds it to his ear. He hears it ringing as he waits for an answer on the other end "_Bruce? Oh thank god, you had me worried_" Gordon stresses in a tone that reminded him of when his father would be disappointed in him but still has the same warmth in his tone "_Listen, Bruce. I take it that you have seen the news? Listen, do not go to confront Jerome. He is playing you and most likely set you up for a trap_"

"Jim..." Bruce sighs as he drops his head "I have to go. He will kill innocents if I don't, I won't have any more lives on my conscience. If Jerome came back just to take me out...then it is going to be trip wasted. I have to do this, Jim,...he killed...Alfred...I can't walk away from that...that's not the man that he raised me to be..."

"..._Bruce there is something that I need to tell you, but not over the line. I can't risk that information being eavesdropped on, get back to Wayne Manner, I'll come to see you after all this_"

Bruce's eyes narrow "Jim...I'm not sitting this one out...Jerome needs to be stopped...once and for all..."

"_Bruce? I know it's a lot to take in, but I need you to think clearly with me, alright? I can handle this, the GCPD can. Don't go around putting yourself in danger. You can trust me, Bruce_" Gordon tries to reassure Bruce the best that he could, but he knew that he could only do so much, Bruce would have to make the choice on his own to come or not. Gordon didn't like it, but he knew that Bruce wouldn't put himself in a situation that he couldn't handle.

"_Bruce? Are you still there...?"_ the commissioner asks concerned.

Bruce hangs up and throws the phone on to the table "There must be more to his plan than just calling me out. This whole thing reeks of a decoy, the circus is too far out of Gotham - that doesn't sound like something the Jerome that I knew were come up with" Bruce turns his head followed by the rest of his body as he faces the Batcomputer "He said that he would be there to meet me so that we could finish this, but Jerome gave the G.C.P.D a heads-up way too in advance, they get there before him..."

"Unless...he was telling the truth when he said that he would be there...but how would he...?" Bruce's eyes widen "Most of the G.C.P.D are heading to the circus right now...Gotham is practically defenceless. Jerome would never give up such a chance"

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

**6: 34 PM**

Rain and lightning storm outside, dripping down the windows of Wayne Manner. The grounds were occasionally struck with the quick flashes of thunder and lightning. The rain was heavy enough to keep the people of Gotham indoors. The wind was just as violent as every other element that moved over the city, trees, bushes and the grass were blown violently back and forth into a never-ending cycle of the elements playing with them.

"I don't know how you talked me into this..." Harvey Dent lies on his back on the couch as Harleen sits on the arm of it with her legs crossed and hands in her laps. The blonde smiles down to the man and tilts her glasses "I know that things have been a little stressful lately...well...really, really stressful, but I'm fine. I think Bruce could use your psychology mojo a lot more than I do right now" Harvey tells Harleen as he holds his arms close to his chest.

"I think Bruce has a lot more pressin' matters right now, he is sure gonna be a goner if he chooses to actually meet with Jerome. I don't think that Bruce will make it long enough to reap the benefits of my *psychology mojo*" Harleen notes.

"Don't worry about that. I know Bruce, he is smart enough to know to hang back and let the GCPD do their jobs, he is a best behind the frontlines rather than charging right onto the battlefield. I'm sure that he is back on his way here as we speak" Harvey fiddles with the coin in his hand "Yet again, he does that quite the saviour complex. It wouldn't destroy my suspension of disbelief if he were to go...but I hope that he knows better than that"

Harleen's eyes look to the coin that was being rubbed between the man's thumb and index finger "That coin of yours. I notice how you seem very attached to it, is there a particular reason why that might be?" she asks. Dent lifts his head, looking at her. He opens up his right hand to display the coin in his palm.

"This thing?" Harvey nods "Yeah...my old man gave it to me...he said that money could drive people to make decisions without even thinking of an alternative way" he holds the con between his fingers "This little thing is two-faced, two heads. He told me that with this I can make my own chance if I was dealing with a difficult choice, I just flip the coin and voilà - I made my choice, fate doesn't get in the way of this District Attorney" Harvey explains with a smile.

"I see" Harleen leans over "So you use that coin to make decisions for you? Pretty smart that it is double-sided, that way you can always be sure of the outcome" Harleen observes. The rain that pelts against the glass of the windows was somewhat soothing, which wouldn't be if she was stood outside to bare all the raging elements. She was well aware of Gotham's tendency for very bad weather. She was living in the city now for almost going on five years and she could swear that she did not see a single sunny day.

"Yep, that's what this little doohickey is for"

"Or is that just somethin' that you are tellin' yourself from comin' to terms with the real reason that use constantly use that coin to make your decisions" Harleen adjusts her glasses as she converses with the man lying down.

"What'd you mean?"

"Well from speakin' as a professional, I am not going to sugar code what I think the reason between that coin is" Harleen looks at the window as lightning strikes on the outside end "Mr Dent, I believe that you need to use the coin is not to prove that fate has no grasp on you, in fact, I believe that the exact opposite is true in this case" she takes off her glasses and places them on the table next to them "I have good reason to suspect that the origin of the coin's purpose is to hide your insecurities. For instance, you may feel that the weight of the choices that you make may be too much for you to bare, maybe those difficult choices that you have to make have gotten to you way worse than you thought"

"I-I don't understand what you are trying to say-?"

"Allow me to rephrase what I said," the blonde scratches her nose, "I say that coin rules you. It has some kind of hold over you, like a temptation. Allow me to explain, hypothetically speakin', if you were to use that coin to make a decision that would result in the death of someone, you may believe you can feel less guilt as you view the coin as makin' the choice and you were just goin' along with it, maybe it's the reason that you can walk around with such a clear conscience"

"That's a greatly over-exaggerated scenario. Something like that has never happened" Harvey protests.

"Yes, I'm aware - that's why I said *hypothetically speakin'*, Mr Dent" she taps the man on his shoulder "But from your reaction, I can tell that I must be on the mark. Mr Dent, you must be aware of your own insecurities, there is nothin' wrong with feeling like that, but know that I'm here to talk to, and as a bonus - I am actually qualified to engage in such topics"

"Okay, okay! I'll admit it - with all my years as an attorney, I got myself in a lot of hot water with most people in the city. They didn't appreciate me digging my node into their illegal dealings, and hated me, even more, when I refused to take bribes once they realized me as a threat. Luckily I was too well known for them to kill me - that would have been way too much attention for them - even if it means getting me out of their way" Harvey takes a deep breath "All of the constant fear of being killed or...worse, made me question every move that I made, every choice and every time I should call it quits or peruse with the case"

"That's understandable, everyone in your shoes would be just as scared"

"It wasn't just for my duties of being an attorney. I had to decide what to eat and drink. I was scared that my food would have been poison or that my drink was drugged. I was also worried about where I should cross the road, in fear that a car would just come out of nowhere and run me over - they could have made that look like an accident. I couldn't make do with making my own decisions because as I always scared that I would make the wrong call..."

"All the pressure that you were under, all the constant questionin' of yourself and your actions - Mr Dent, if you don't mind me askin'...do you happen to be bipolar? Harleen inquires.

"Yeah...I was diagnosed a long time ago. It was told that it was nothing to worry about and that its effects would be mild at most"

"Well under the right circumstances and proper consideration, Bipolar can be quite harmless and non-intrusive on your day-to-day life, however with all the emotional distress that you have been exposed to over the years could very well of exasperated its effects. You cannot trust yourself to make the right decision, so you let the coin make the desired outcome for you to exempt yourself from all the bad things that could come from that choice"

"Okay...Okay" Harvey sits up straight "I have been having trouble lately, with the whole city thinking that I am a killer...how just over one night, all the good that I have done for the city is just ignored. How the press is more than happy to throw me under the bus so they can sell papers - it makes me wonder if I have even made a single bit of difference in this city" he clenches the coin tightly "I am starting to think that there are no good people left in Gotham, everyone is just so clearly two-faced, backstabbing the people who want to help them over and over...and then act as if they care..." he slightly growls.

Harleen sits beside them and slides her hand over Dent's and the coin in it "That's the doubt talking, Harvey. I can help you overcome it, but you are goin' to need to trust me. That coin has become your greatest enemies, not the press, nor the people - even not the crime families. They say that you are your own worst enemy and I think you got a front row seat to experience it, you are a lot stronger than this, Harvey - you don't need the coin" Harleen goes to scoop up the coin in her hand above Harvey's.

Harvey quickly moved his hand away and concealed the coin in a closed fist "What are you doing?"

"I said that you need to trust me, right? I need you to give me that coin...you need time without it. Trust me, you will see that you are completely fine without it"

"You want to take my coin? This was my father's, I just can't-"

"I'm not going to keep it, Harvey - I am going to take care of it for a little while so that you can adjust without it. I'll give it back when it's over, I promise" Harley holds her palm out "Don't worry about the others knowing about this. I am very firm on doctor-patient confidentiality, this will be kept between the two of us" Harleen consoles the man.

"You...promise to keep good care of it?" Harvey nervously asks.

"Of course I will. I'll guard it with my life" Harleen agrees.

"I-I need-more time...to...think this over...can I have...more time?" he stumbles over his words.

"Take as much time as you need"

* * *

**Outskirts of Gotham**

**5: 34 PM**

Selina walks through a dilapidated hall of mirrors, with each one showing some sign of cracks and cobwebs. She turns her head to give her a good idea of her surroundings, the ceiling was covered in some sort of fungus with the hard rain from outside causing leakage from within the insides, small slippery wet patches cover parts of the black and white tile flooring with that too being broken with some tiles missing entirely "Lucius? Are you back yet? If you can hear me, I've already searched most of this place - and there's no sign of Jerome, not even any of his whacky followers. It would be really nice if you could get back to me" her eyes look onward to the centre of the room which was surrounding in the broken mirrors.

Her eyes fall upon a wooden crooked chair in the centre which had something hidden under a white sheet sat in it "Even more creepy" Selina notes to herself as she gradually made her way to the chair. As she was brought into arms lengths, she reached out her hand and grabbed the white sheet "Please don't be what I think it is" she takes a deep breath before throwing the sheet off of the chair. Her eyes widen at the absolutely grotesque before her, what she saw was one of the most disgusting things she could have ever imagined.

She brings her hand to cover her mouth, coughing and forcing herself to look away from it. In the chair sat a decayed person, covered in worms and maggots that were crawling all over their skin and through there eye sockets. The body must have been dead for a very long time as the smell was unbearable and a brand new kind of sickly that greeted the dark-haired woman. Half of the rotten skin was missing and the bones from the skeleton underneath poked through the patches of missing flesh.

Whoever it was appeared to be dressed in a white overcoat, though dirty and covered in all kind of parasites that warmed around the suit. Finally gathering enough will power, Selina managed to force her head towards the body once more and was left to see the horrid sight once again. She notices a plastic bag placed on the man's waist. Selina shakes her head and snatches it away from the man, not wanting to give the bugs any chance to get on her. She sees that there was a tape recorder in the bag. She turns her back to the rotten corps and takes the recorder out of the plastic bag.

"Oh...hell no..." she plays the tape...


	20. A Realized Darkness

**A Realized Darkness**

* * *

**5:40 PM**

Jim Gordon, the commissioner of the GCPD slowly walks through the dimly lit broken and rusted hall of mirrors as he holds a flashlight in his hand to guide a path forward and to alert him to any sudden threats that would try to make the most out of the lack of light. The commissioner holds his handgun out ready with his other hand as he overlaps both the flashlight and gun with each of his hands. From what little that he could make of the place, one thing was for certain - the place was disgusting, he would even go as far as to say hazardous to anyone who chose to walk through it.

The damp odder that attacks his sense of smell was one of the worst things that he had ever smelt. He could smell the mould all around him and the damp smell layered over the already putrid scent was near enough to make him vomit right there on the spot of the broken string of tiles on the floor. Gordon was well aware that the place had been closed down for such health violations, but he could never have imagined how bad the sight truly was.

He eyes glance ahead to the centre of the place, one surrounded by those ghastly broken mirrors, covered by cobwebs and all kinds of stuff that no one should breathe in. He sees the silhouette of someone standing at the point of interest, who appeared to female from the shape. Gordon tightens his gaze "G.C.P.D! Hands up!" he lifts his gun forward to the back of the figure. He steps forward, making sure to step over the broken tile "Hands in the air! NOW!"

"It's me, Jim"

"Selina?" the commissioner lowers his weapon and shines the flashlight at the woman "What the hell are you doing here? I'm not sure if you are aware, but this is a police matter and I can escort you back to the G.C.P.D for tampering with a police invest-" Selina turns around and moves out of the way of the rotten corpses that was seated in the chair. Gordon had to do a double-take to check that his mind wasn't playing a trick on him. He slips the gun back into his holster and hurries to the body.

"Creepy, right? I dunno whu Jerome was thinking that leaving this...thing here would accomplish. I was really, really hoping that it was just a prop...but I doubt that those worms would be that into...it if it was fake, plus there's the smell...just gross" Selina looks to Jim.

Jim eyed the body as he recognizes it's attire "It can't be..."

"Can't be what?" Selina asks in an unsure tone that indicated that she was not looking forward to whatever answer that she would get from the man. Jim almost seemed to have to drag his eyes away from the worm-infested rotten body so he could greet the woman's eyes with his own "...It's bad, isn't it?"

"It's impossible is what it is. That...body...I can recognize it anywhere - it's Jerome Valeska's"

"I heard of letting yourself go, but this? I just saw clown boys ugly face plastered all the TV today" Selina exhales.

Me too...so this...this...is?" Gordon's eyes widen as he realizes the faint sound of a series of beets coming from under the chair. He kneels down to the ground and looks under to see a small device counting down from twenty-five seconds "RUN!" he jumps to his feet and grabs Selina's hand as they both sprint the way that they came from, in a panic and panting heavily. They don't dare look back in fear of tripping over the unkempt and broken floor, they weren't willing to waste any of the small amount time they had to escape.

They run out of the entrance and quickly run to get as much distance as they could.

5-4-3-2-1-(:  
Both Jim and Selina were thrown onto the ground by the gravitas heated exposition that erupts from within the building, capturing both it and the some of the ground that surrounded in flames that burn brightly thanks to the night sky. Gordon looks back at the now burnt hall of mirrors "That hall of mirrors...that's where Bruce and Jerome first fought..." he commissioner thinks to himself as he drags himself off of the ground as he sees the soring flames that were reflected by his eyes.

"That bastard tried to fry us!" Selina jumps to her feet and brushes off the dirt from her jeans and jacket "Wait until I get my hands on him, then we'll see if he has something to laugh about"

"Not his style. If he was ever going to kill us, Jerome would want a front-row seat - whoever planted that bomb...it's not his M.0"

"Geez, that doesn't make me feel any better" Selina comments as she pats the dust out of her hair.

"Wasn't surpassed too. Selina...what are you doing here? You could have gotten yourself killed if I didn't show up in time" Gordon snarls at the dark-haired woman like she was still the same kid from all those years ago "I have half the mind to cuff you here and now for interfering with this police matter"

"But the other half wants to know why I was here in the first place, right?" Selina raises an eyebrow.

"Let me take a guess - Bruce?"

"Yeah - Bruce. You know how awful he must feel about losing Alfred...I was scared that he might...take out all those emotions on Jerome. The last thing I want is for Bruce is to become a killer...not after everything that Alfred has taught him..." she lifts her left arm over her right shoulder "And I got a feelin' that you were trying to do the same thing as me" sighs Selina as she expresses her words with the lingering doubt in her voice, one full of concern but an equal amount fear for Bruce.

"Selina..." Gordon rests on hand on her shoulder "...That wasn't Alfred, Selina"

"-What-? How is that even-? How-?"

"It's Gotham, Selina. I've just learned to accept anything these days. One of the doctors at Gotham General showed me the medical scans of Alfred...and they didn't match the ones taken from a month ago. The metal plate in his back is gone - or rather it looks like it was never there, to begin with - that Alfred was fake which means the real one may still be alive" Gordon looks into Selina's eyes "And I swear that I will not rest, I will not leave a single stone unturned until I find him and bring him back to Bruce..."

"...Oh...my god" Selina whispers as she grabs her head as she suddenly is struck with a painful jolt through her mind like her brain was being sliced right open. She remembers that she already knew that about Alfred - but how? How could she forget such a big detail? It made no sense to her, did it connect to her missing memories of the night before? Her mind was now rattling with all heavy thoughts that piled on top of each other, each one creating a loud thud in her mind which equalled another jolt of pain through her head.

"Selina? Selina!? You okay?" Jim's voice knocks Selina out of the trance that she found herself under.

"Yeah-Yeah, I'm good, have you told Bruce about this? This could be good to stop him from doing something really, really stupid"

"Not yet. I need to make sure that it would secure when I tell him. I got a gut feeling that the criminal underworld is responsible for this and their eyes and ears are everywhere in Gotham. If they find out that we know about Alfred - they may kill the real one...if he is still alive that is"

"So-What? Are you saying that we should just let Bruce keep thinking that the closest thing to a father that he has his dead when he could still be alive somewhere? Don't you think that he has already suffered enough?" Selina tenses up and crosses her arms "...Jim...I get where you are coming from, but I can't stand seeing Bruce like that. I visited him at Gotham General after I heard about what happened and do you want to know what he said to me?"

"What?"

"...-Nothing, Nothing - not a single word - that was how heartbroken he was - he could barely even look me in the eye" Selina recalled that night.

"Selina..., Bruce called me" Gordon reveals.

"He did what?" she was stunned, and deep down even hurt by the information.

"Earlier, he called me. He told me that he is going after Jerome...he's going to confront him. He ended the call before I had a good chance to talk him out of it"

"I see..." Selina lowered her gaze to the ground "He called you, yet he couldn't say a single word to me...I sometimes forget just how important you are to him. He looks up to you just as much as he looked up to Alfred. You're another father figure of his...I can see why he tried to find solace in you"

"...Selina - he cares about you a lot too. Listen, obviously Jerome isn't here which means this was supposed to be a distraction...which means...he's still in Gotham -" Gordon turns his head "He knew that I would go to confront him...but that just gave him Gotham..." the commissioner rests his hand on the woman's shoulders "We have to get back, now" he jogs away and towards his car parked a couple of metres away "Come on!" he calls out.

"If Bruce didn't come here...then...that means that he knew it was a trick" Selina reaches in the pocket of her jacket and pulls out the small tape recorder "And Jerome knew that he did, oh...Bruce, hang in there - please..." she slides the device back into her pocket and sprints off when she sees that Jim had turned his sight away from her.

Jim walks around his car and pulls out the mic "This is Commissioner Gordon. Send out a city-wide BOLO on Jerome Valeska and any of his followers. The use of aggressive force is authorized!" Jim takes a deep breath "Dispatch, also put out an ATL on Bruce Wayne and bring him into custody, note - not as a suspect but for his own protection - do not treat him like a hostile"

_"Roger that - over and out -"_

"Selina, we need to get on the move before-" Jim looks out only to see that the woman had vanished "Damn it"

* * *

**6: 03 PM**

**Streets of Gotham**

A Molotov Cocktail was hurled into a store; breaking the glass as it lands in the building and begins to set ablaze to the whole place. A group of several men and women cheer as they grin as the light from the flames brightens up their white-painted faces "Booyah! Now that's what I call blazing a trail!" one of the men lifts his arms up above his head and yells "Jerome is victorious! Jerome is victorious! Gotham belongs to Jerome! Jerome is Gotham! Jerome is Gotham! JEROME IS GOTHAM!" the crowd begins to chant over and over as they march through the streets yielding baseball bats, machetes and some even had metal chains "Jerome is Gotham! Jerome is Gotham! Jerome is Gotham!" the crowd of followers gradually grew much larger, two times, three times, four times as many of the strays join the others marching onward.

As they march forward, the members lob more Molotovs through the windows of the buildings around them "Jerome is Gotham! Jerome is Gotham! Jerome is Gotham! Jerome is-" the man at the font looks up as he sees something glide across the skyline above them. He gulps as he knew who it was.

The over a hundred member group all look up too in awe as they too see the shadowed figure gliding above them. They all smirk and throw their arms up "Jerome is GOTHAM! Jerome is GOTHAM! JEROME IS GOTHAM! JEROME IS GOTHAM! JEROME IS GOTHAM!" they call chant as their combined voices each throughout the streets.

"**WRONG! Batman is Gotham**!" the dark knight glides down onto the street on his knees and slamming his armoured fist on the ground; creating a small dent in the road. The crowd looks in silence as they see Batman steadily rise up. His white eyes glare at them all as he readies his hands into fists. His cape slowly swerves with the small gusts of wind at his feet. The leader curves his lips into a smirk as he points to the vigilante.

"Get out of here freak! Jerome only wants Bruce Wayne to come to his party, you sure as hell ain't invited" the man runs his thumb across his throat "I hear that you are the big bad bat, right? Well as bad as you might be, you can't take on all of us! We will bring glory to Jerome! GOTHAM IS JEROME, GOTHAM IS JEROME, GOTHAM IS JEROME, GOTHAM IS JEROME, GOTHAM IS JEROME!" they all cheer as Batman stands in silence "You could never match Jerome, Gotham will never belong to the good guys!"

"**No, but it will belong to The Batman**" the dark knight narrows his eyes "Y**our boss and every other scum to plague this city will soon learn that**" Batman steps forward which caused his cape to swerve from side to side with each step taken.

The man gulps as he steps back "Get lost, I mean it! You can't take us all on!"

"**Who said that? Not me**"

"Very well...you asked for it" the leader runs forward and swings his machete at the dark knight. Batman lifts both of his arms to shield his face, the machete cuts across the vigilante's arms; scratching the armour. Batman then kicks the man in his right kneecap; hearing a loud crack as a result.

The man falls to his knees and grabs his knee "Ah! Dude, I think you broke my knee...ah god...it hurts!" he cries. Batman steps forward and without saying a word kicks the man in the jaw with his boot; knocking the wind out of him and leaving his lying on the ground with missing teeth on the ground next to him.

"Shit, he wasn't even trying!" one of the people in the crowd yells.

Batman glares at the group and readies his fist "T**he choice is yours! Go home now or go home without teeth!**" Batman growls.

The group all nod as they quickly disband and run away from the dark knight. Batman exhales as he sees the last of group vanish into the darkness. He turns his head to face the one that was lying on the ground. The vigilante kicks the man onto his back and plants his boot on the man's throat. The man's mouth was bloodied and the loss of teeth could clearly be seen as he was missing most of his front teeth "Jerome Valeska!

"**WHERE IS HE?**"

"I have nothin' ta say ta you" the man dribbles blood.

"**When someone's got their boot to your neck...it isn't a good idea to tell them that they have no use for you**" the dark knight hisses as he presses his boot down.

"Do-whatever-yah-want-ta-me. The only person who is going to have the glory of meeting Jerome tonight is Bruce Wayne! Tell Bruce that Jerome is at City hall and before you think of pulling off any heroics...the place is wired to blow if anyone else besides Wayne shows up. You won't be able to get in the building without it being blown to Kingdome come along with all the hostages. If you want to save them...then get Bruce to go there, alone... !" the man chuckles.

"**Blowing up city hall?**" Batman says to himself "**I need to get there fast**" he stomps on the man's head which knocked him out.

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise Tower **

**6:34 PM**

The tower that stands tall in Gotham was in shambles, lockdown by a group of several armed men who wore white face paint and bulletproofs vests. They all grin as they aim their guns at the many employees kneeling on the ground with their arms over their heads as they cower from the men "That's right, not a single movement - if I see anythin' that I don' like, I will put a bullet between your eyes, you got me?" one of the men warns the people as he walks around the room.

"You know the drill! If Wayne shows his sorrow ass...he is to be unharmed and taken to Jerome! But that doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun first, I would like to get a few minutes alone with that rich son of a bitch!" the man grins as he looks to the windows of the floor that lead out into the city of Gotham "He can't hide forever, we are eventually going to find him! Either if it is us or the ones at his home! Bruce Wayne will die tonight!"

From inside the stairwell of the building stood guard two of the followers as they look down at the bottom floor to make sure that no one could get up. They had their guns trained on the floor at the bottom as they await whoever would be foolish enough to take that path. Their index fingers were ready as they lightly pressed against the trigger of their weapons. One of the armed men looks to the one beside him as he thinks of a way to start a conversation.

"...So...Jerome's back-uh?"

"What 'bout it"

"I'm just saying that...he fell to his death like twelve stories like eleven years ago, but is only now returning... - in like perfect condition? He doesn't look like he even decayed a single bit. Don't you find that just a tad curious?"

"It's Gotham, man - what were you expecting? Stranger things have happened in this city"

"Really? Like what?"

"Uh...you know-stuff - remember that guy who killed people will balloons? That's was...quite strange, wasn't it?"

"That's not weirder than someone coming back from the dead in perfect condition...actually that whole balloon thing is actually tame for this bloody city"

"Ah-Okay! How about...uh...eh...let's see...ah-remember way back with that virus thing that turned people into lunatics? That was messy"

"Yeah, but that was just a virus-thing. Science can explain that, but we're talking about a guy who cheated death twice! No wonder he's always smiling, I would be that cocky if I could cheat death as well as him. If you think about it...does death even matter if people can just come back so easily? Honestly, if people just keep coming back from death, then doesn't that just mean that the impact of their deaths become meaningless and just become a gimmick for shock value? I mean think about it - surely people should catch on that the deaths are just pointless and will just end up with the person that you went through all the effort mourning to just come back alive - most likely with a lazily and thrown together excuse that doesn't make any sense or just comes across as dishonest, you feel me, man?"

"What the hell are you even talking about?"

"N-nothing, I was just-you know...? I was just...just...thinking - that's all"

"Well then, can you do me a favour and keep those dumbass thoughts in your head and shut your mouth?" the man stumbles as he sees something move in the corner of his eye at the lower levels "What was that?" he stammers as he aims his gun down at the floor below.

"What was what?"

"I just saw something!"

"You sure, man? I didn't"

"That's because it has already been established that you are a dumbass"

"How does being a *dumbass* suddenly make me blind?"

"It just does-got me?"

"...Uh...I don't think that I do? You must have just seen a rat or somethin'"

"Oh reeeeeaaaaallllllyyyyy? A rat in a place like this? This place is so clean that you could eat off the floor"

"Hey-eating off the floor is not a sanitary thing to do, no matter how clean it looks. Trust me on this-I did catering back in School"

"Ugghhh, I didn't mean that literally, you idiot"

"Ohhh...if you say so"

"For the love of god! Shut up!" the man's ears prick as he sees the shadowed figure move at the corner of his glance "That's it! I definitely saw something, stay here and keep your mouth shut" he dismounts his gun from the railing and holds it over his shoulder "I'm investigating, most likely it's one of those scared workers, but with the off chance that it's Bruce Wayne - I want to get the credit for capturing him" he traverses down the flight of stairs.

Walking several of the flights, he soon descends the tower "Come out, come out - wherever you are!" the man suddenly trips over as a whip was wrapped around his ankle "What the?" he gasps. He turns around onto to lie on his back "What was-" his eyes widen as he sees Catwoman jump on top him and straddles his waist and readies her claws "Oh...crap" he whimpers as Catwoman slashes her claws across his face.

"Aggghhhh!" the man at the top hears the cries from below "What the?" he leans over the railing and tries to locate him "Ugghh...are you alright? Uh...you uh...are you alright? Hello? Bonjour? Ola? Ciao? And...that's all that my twenty-four thousand dollar student debt could help me with life" he sighs as he recollects on his own life "...and mom said that being bilingual would help me with opportunities,...shows what she knows" unbeknownst to him, Catwoman drops down from behind him.

"You know what? Screw this! I'm done being a criminal, I can get a fresh new start, I can go to another city, get a job and set myself on the right track, yeah that's what I'm going to-" Catwoman grabs the back of his head and rams it into the railing and then lets him slide down on the floor next to her. Catwoman folds her arms and tilts her head as she looks at the man through the red lens of her goggles. She sees she had broken the man's nose and dislocated his jaw - it was a messy sight.

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

**6: 46 PM**

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't give it up - it just means too much to me" Harvey tells the blonde woman sitting next "I'm sorry, miss Quinzel, but that is something that I just can't do - I trust that you will take good care of it, but I have a bad feeling that you may accidentally lose it or if you are mugged or something, I just can't cope with the thought of losing my coin" Harvey looks down to the coin resting in his open palm. He lowers his head and lets out a deep breath "You must think that I'm stupid, right? The fact that a grown man has so many feelings for a coin, I can't say that I blame you if you did think that"

Harleen rests her hand over the man's knee "That's not it at all, I'm just worried that the coin is controllin' you. I'm not forcin' you to give it to me or even trying to pressure you into handing it over - this is about you and what you feel is best for you. As a psychiatrist, I can only recommend a certain action and have no grounds to make you do such - if you don't feel like giving me the coin is the best course of action to take then don't"

"-Alright, I understand - thanks for...you know...talking to me...it really means the a lot" Harvey rubs his eyes "Trying to act strong for all of Gotham all these years has made me terrified of them finding out about how I was really feeling underneath - this city...they take whatever they can and use it against you...they want to paint you as the villain unjustly just so it can fit their narrative" the dark-haired man returns the coin to the pocket of his jacket "I have been so scared...that I couldn't even bring myself to tell Gordon...even Bruce...he has stuck his neck out for me so much the past few days, yet I can't even bring myself, to be honest with him - what kind of friend does that make me?"

Harleen takes off her glasses and runs her hand through her hair "Mr Dent...Harvey, you are not the first person to hide their darkness from the world - in fact, it's more common than you think. It is honestly more of a social norm these days" the blonde slides her hand into Harvey's "Everyone has somethin' that they want to hide from the rest of the world, whether it is one's insecurities, one's crimes or just somethin' about themselves that they can't risk the world discoverin'"

"I know..."

"In fact, everyone that you know does that too..." Harleen puts her glasses back on and leans forward "Gordon, Harvey and even Bruce Wayne all have something that they are hiding, it's human nature. And some of the men may be hiding things from you too, they may have secrets that they don't want you to learn and that they never want to tell you about - does that make them wrong for doing so? I personally don't think so, sometimes having secrets is a way of protecting the ones closest to you"

"Even you?" Harvey questions.

"Oh...especially me...I can be quite the monster when I wanna be" Harleen winks.

Both Harvey and Harleen turn their heads as they hear the sound of glass shattering from outside the room "Did you hear that?" Dent stands to his feet and faces the door to the room. Harleen stands up behind the man as she too focuses her vision on the entrance to the room. They turn the heads to the windows of the room as they hear them shatter in sequence, one after another "Crap, this isn't good" Harvey watches several clown-themed figure barge into the room, yielding machetes, axes, and baseball bats.

Harvey could count four members who all surrounded by him and Harleen. One was a pale-skinned man with a long black fringe and a white-painted face, dressed in a black vest and leather trousers and boots. The second was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties, with a red mohawk and dressed in a black jacket. The third was a man with slicked-back brown hair and the fourth was a blonde man who grins at the two as he holds an axe in his left hand "Dent? You're besties with Bruce Wayne, right? Oh...this is going to be fun"

"Who the hell are you clowns? This is private property, I suggest that you get the hell out of here before I call the cops!" Harvey points to the one he believes to be in charge as he threatens both him and the rest of the group that circle around them.

"Ohhhh...scary! I am quivering in my boots" the man with the black fringe responds, his smile stretches across his face and his eyes widen "I am so scared that I may have just pissed myself a little bit...ha, ha" he tilts his head points his fingerless gloved hand at Dent "Nah, just kidding. You don't scare any of us, Mr District Attorney - you have no importance in Gotham anymore - Jerome is Gotham now"

"JEROME IS GOTHAM!" the other three cheer as they lift their weapons up in the air.

"Listen, young man - you and the rest of the breakfast club better get lost before I lose my temper" Dent calls back with a growl.

The black-haired man grins as he bows to both Harvey and Harleen "The name's Devlin and we are the followers of Jerome! Glory to Jerome!" his black-painted lips gin and his eyes look at Harvey "And you old man are in no position to be making threats, but please keep going - I find it mildly entertaining, it's like watching a turtle on its back trying to get up - you can't help but feel sorry for the thing, but you sure as hell ain't going to touch it"

Harleen steps forward "...Devlin, was it? You are aware that you are following the actions of a known criminal and now that you have trespassed into Wayne Manner - you have more than likely got yourself a sentence. I must guess that you must have a troubled home life, correct? Possibly an absence of any good adult role model in your life - so there was no one to guide you along the right path, you turned to crime, and then found serenity in the teaching's of Jerome..."

"Are you dissin' me?" Devlin growls.

"Harleen...what are you doing?" Harvey whispers.

"I think she's dissin' you, Dev!" the red-haired woman grins "We can keep Dent but waste the blonde"

"We have the time to axe her" Devlin laughs "Since Bruce Wayne isn't here...we have to find something else to amuse us, right? After all, we travelled this far...and to have no fun...would be a terrible way to end the night"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Dent growls but was knocked over the head with a baseball bat by the red-haired girl which knocks the man to the ground. Devlin steps over the man's body and leans towards Harleen with a smile on his face.

"You wanna play nice...or do you wanna be a naughty girl? I like 'em both" Devlin chuckles.

"Then you're gonna love me a hell lot" Harleen grins.

"Really? Please...show me your naughty side then..." Devlin leans closer until both his and Harleen's face are mere centimetres apart "Please show me just how naughty you can be, I have no plans for tonight - so we can have all the time that we need - so don't afraid to show us just how naughty that you can be..."

"If you say so..." Harleen rolls her eyes and rams a knight through the bottom of the man's throat. Devlin squirts blood from his mouth as he gasps at the wound "Don't say that I didn't warn yah...I'm not one to play gently..." she drags the knife across the man's throat and blood squirts out of his neck and onto the rug underneath them "...I hope it was as good for you as it was for me..." Harleen takes the axe out the man's hand and turns to face the redhaired woman who looks to her in shock.

The blood from Devlin reddened the bottom of Harleen's hair and her lips. She throws the axe at the redhaired woman and lands it in her head. The woman slightly stumbles as she feels the impact of the axe in her head. Her eyes dilate as her shaking hand reaches up to the axe as blood drips down from the wound into her eyes which reddened her vision, distorting it, blood even drips into her widened mouth as she tries to make sense of what was happening "...hghd...whahst….ohf…" she drops down onto her knees and onto the ground on her sides. Harleen turns her head at the two remaining members of the group who slowly back away and a smile forms on her blood-stained lips.

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise Tower**

**Meanwhile...**

"What do you mean that we lost communication with Devlin's group? That jackass couldn't even tie his own shoes without help..." a man with long dark-haired down to his waist hisses at a much more younger man who stood next to him "Now we won't know if Wayne shows his ass at his home, Jerome will not be pleased with this one..." he sighs. A shadowed figure runs across behind his back "Devlin only had one job, one job! And he botches it! I can't wait to get my hands on..." the long-haired man gasps as a whip was wrapped around his throat as he was pulled down onto the ground.

"What the?" the other man tilts his head before a hand with claws slashed across his face and eyes. He holds his eyes pain and slowly backs up "Aggghhhh! Agggghhhh! AGGHHHH!" he screams. Catwoman cartwheels and kicks the man in his chin. She then grabs the man's shoulders and throws him through a glass wall; covering his face in cuts and bruises. The Feline turns her head to the man lying on the ground who was grasping at the whip tied around his neck as he struggles to breathe.

Catwoman bends her knee backwards and rounds up a kick across the man's face; knocking the man out of consciousness in one fell swoop of her boot. She hears the sound of footsteps quickly approaching, she grabs her whip and attaches it to her left thigh and looks runs into the cloak of the darkness of the room and crawls underneath one of the many desks of the room. Four armed men carrying shotguns look at the two unconscious men on the ground.

"Shit! Batman's here!"

"Last time I checked the Bat doesn't claw off people's faces"

"I don't care who it is, just kill 'em - We cannot fail Jerome!"

"Then let's go hunting!"

Catwoman sees a pair of boots walk past the desk that she was under "Yeah...I'm in no hurry to get shot. I gotta be a little bit more careful with this one, just one shot and my nine lives won't matter" she sees the pair of boots stop in their tracks and turn towards her. Catwoman waits patiently as she awaits the man's next move "C' mon, get lost - you know that you want to"

"Whoever you are, you are as good as dead! You made a mistake coming here...we will make sure of that..."

"Yeah, the G.C.P.D is way too busy to save your sorry ass - it's just you and us tonight!"

"You're as good as dead! Glory to Jerome!"

Catwoman sees the owner of the boots turn away and begin to walk off from the desk. She crawls under the desk and out into open while still kneeling, she slowly makes her way behind the man who seemed to be alone as the other two were across the room "Come to kitty" she whispers as she quickly stands up and jumps onto the man's shoulders from behind and wraps her legs around the man's face as she forces him to the ground as his muffled screams barely make a sound.

She tightens the grips of her legs around the man's mouth and neck as she chokes him out, luckily she is enough low to the ground so there was no way that she be seen by the other two men. Eventually, the man's lack of breath became his undoing and he slipped out of consciousness. Catwoman rolls onto the ground and under another of the desks; getting out of the open space and made her to her next target. The two men look back as they realize that they were missing one of their own "Pascal?"

They both circle back in search of the missing man "He's gone! How is that even possible?"

"It's not, someone is messing with us and I don't like being messed with"

"Well then...let's kill whoever is doing this..."

"Agreed"

They both take different corners of the room as they ready their shotguns with their fingers on the triggers "Let's see them try to stop us out now, we're ready for them, and I am feeling really lucky..." one of the men nervously laughs. Catwoman follows behind him close to the ground. She quickly shoots up and wraps her hands around his mouth and drags him back and throws him onto the ground. She backflips and lands her heels on the man's face; knocking the wind out of him.

"Got you..." a voice says from behind her. She turns around to see the last man with his shotgun aimed right at her chest "Say nighty night, kitty cat" the man grins. Selina's eyes widen as she sees the man press his finger tighter on the tiger. The man's eyes widen as someone grabs onto his shoulder and squeezes; which forces him to the ground where he was unable to move his body like it refused his own commands. Selina looks down to the man and slowly pans her eyes up to be greeted with *her*.

"Your technique is good, but you need to work on your blind spots" Talia informs Selina as she gives her a light smile "You get too distracted on what is right in front of you, that you lose sight of what is behind you, you should really look into that - it could save your life one day" the woman stomps on the man's head which knocks him out.

"You...?" Catwoman steps forward and presses her heel on the head of the grounded man "What the hell are you even doing here? Don't you have an evil cult to rule? Why are you in Wayne Tower?" she sees Talia rolls her shoulders.

"I work here," Talia says in an amused tone of voice.

"You what?"

"I. Work. Here." Talia emphasises her words "...Have done for the week. I'm still settling in here, I am actually curious why you are here?" Talia questions Catwoman.

"I came back to see Lucius, but once I saw that these bozos had taken over the place, I rushed back to my place to get my gear and take them out" Catwoman folds her arms "Hold on if you were here...why didn't you do anything about them? You could have taken them out way before I got here"

"You are correct, I could have, but I couldn't risk blowing my cover"

"What cover? Never-mind- you were just happy to sit back and watch these people die? What if I didn't show up?"

"Irrelevant, I was aware that you were coming - Cats are always overtaken by the sense of curiosity - it's your nature" Talia replies as she looks away from Catwoman "I'm afraid that your search for Mr Fox is going prove futile for the moment - he is...busy. I suggest you make something else of your time here, like freeing the rest of the hostages on the floor above. That was all of the men holding those hostages, I suggest you hurry and set the hostages free before even more of those men come"

"Hold on! Have you seen Bruce? I need to tell him something really important" Catwoman inquires in a hiss.

"I haven't see him today, but we conversed a multitudes of times recently"

"You need to tell me where he is. I need to get to him before he can make a mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his life" Catwoman asks Talia who lifts an eyebrow in response.

"Mistake? Like what?" she steps closer to Catwoman "What mistake are you trying to prevent him from making?"

"Like killing Jerome, that kind of mistake. Bruce isn't a killer and you and I both know that is the only thing that we can agree on. I've seen him...when...he breaks his one rule...it's not a nice sight...he becomes broken...empty...I don't want to see him like that ever again-and neither should you if you care about him as much as you claim" Catwoman beseeches the other dark-haired woman. Talia rolls her eyes and tilts her head.

"...I know Bruce far better than you do - whether you are willing to admit or not. Bruce is upheld by his moral code. He would never breach it, no matter what happened - even if he thinks that his faithful butler is dead. You need to have faith in him to make the right choice - you and he aren't kids anymore so I suggest that you stop acting like he is the same Bruce that you knew all those years ago - he is so much stronger, both physically and mentally...I made sure of that" Talia counters as she looks back to Catwoman.

"*Even if he thinks that his butler is dead*" Selina bats her eyes "...Did you know? You knew this whole time and didn't tell him? What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how hard he is pushing himself? How many sleepless nights that he has had! I'm scared that he is going to drop dead any day now - and you just neglected to tell him...just how long did you know about it?" Catwoman was beyond appalled by the woman's deceitful action.

"Listen, I don't have the time to explain everything to you - even if I did, I probably still wouldn't" Talia turns her head away from Catwoman "But...I can sense a great deal of concern for Bruce in your eyes. I'll tell you what, he's heading to City Hall - He's going to confront Jerome, what you do with that information doesn't bother me, do as you please" she dismisses Selina with a gentle gesture of her hand as she waves it. Catwoman looks up to the ceiling.

"Hold on - we are not finished here! Just what else have you been keeping from Bruce. Just what the hell are you up to?"

"I think that we are finished, I just saved your life so I recommend that you play just...just in case you need to save your ass again"

* * *

**City Hall**

**7: 03 PM**

"Mr Valeska...we got Bruce Wayne, he surrendered to us and wants to make your acquaintance"

"Ha...bring him to me..." Jerome grins as he sits behind the mayor's desk as he excitedly rubs his palms together. Eight civilians were sat on the ground, tied up and with no way of escaping. The ginger jumps to his feet as he sees the doors to the room open which showed two masked men grabbing Bruce's arms as they drag him into the room. Bruce was dressed in a tight-fitting black shirt with a matching shaded of dark jeans and a black duster over his shirt.

Jerome jumps on the spot and frails his hands "'Ello Brucy! Did yah miss meh? I sure as heck missed yah, they do say that absence does make the heart grow fonder...and my heart..." he guides his left hand over his chest "...Sure is beatin' fast as heck, my blood sure is pumping!" he rubs his palms together like a child trying to decide which present they should open on Christmas morning. He soon settles down and curbs his arms behind his back as he sees the two thugs carry Bruce all the way over to him.

"What-the-matter, Brucy? Not in a talkative mood?" Jerome leans forward until both he and Bruce's noses were touching "You still mourning that manservant of yours? C'mon, Brucie...I said that I was sorry, what else do you want from me?" Jerome turns his head to face what looked like a mother and her young son who were bound to the ground who looked at him in terror "Okay...if you don' wanna talk tah meh...how about we just get to my grandiose chef-d'oeuvre for the evening - don't look away, this one is a...killer!" he pulls out a handgun from his overcoat and aims it at the mother.

Bruce bits his lip and glares "You have me...now let these people go..."

Jerome snaps his eyes back to Bruce "You...know...I don't remember ever making such a deal like that" he taps the handgun against his own chest "This is how this is going to go down...one by one...I will kill these precious children's parents right in front of the little one's eyes, one after another - and once you have become broken and snap...only then will I take my sweet time...killing you...slowly...and with style!" Jerome sniggers as he lifts an eyebrow "...How does that sound, Brucie...?"

"Insane..." Bruce growled, "You are sick...you need help..., I won't let you go through with this..."

"I'm sick?" Jerome gasps "Would a sick man concoct a scheme that tricks your good friend Gordon on a wild goose chase so that we can all the time that we need?" the ginger cackled "What's funny is how you managed to see right through my little rouse...you have markings of one great detective. By now...good old Jimbo's senile old brain is beginning to realize that I just got him away from the city and that there is nothing that he can do...to stop me" he laughs as tilts his head and grins "Tonight...is all about us, Brucie. You and me...just like old times..."

"But not your old times..." Bruce whispers loud enough so that Jerome could hear "You're a fake, a low effort and flawed copy of the real Jerome...and you know when your followers find that out...they will turn on you...it is only a matter of time..."

"You're right, Brucie...but we both know that I won't live to see that day..." Jerome coughs "See...you know and I know that I am dying...I can feel myself rotting from the inside...I got a feeling that I only got a day or two in me at most..." Jerome rests his white-gloved hand over the man's left shoulder "When I was taken out of Indian hill...I saw you...well another you...just like I am another me..." Jerome's lips stretch even further across his cheeks "So...I'm guessing that wasn't you...it was your own doubleganger, right? That's how you know that I was a clone...you had an encounter with your own"

"I'm warning you...don't...do this...this is your last chance at life, don't throw this one away. You will never get another one"

"Oh shut up, Brucie...I never got any chance of a normal life...and I don't even want one...I like the way that I am...it feels just so...right...like I can do anything, that nothing can stop me" Jerome points the handgun at the mother again across the room "I just can't picture myself doing anything else..." he shares a tooth-full grin as he presses down on the trigger. The bullet shot through the mother's head and throw her down on the floor. The son's eyes widen as he screams through the muzzle that covered his mouth.

"NO!" Bruce tries to charge at Jerome but the two masked thugs promptly grab him and drag him backwards. Jerome jumps back and opens out his red overcoat which revealed a bomb-vest strapped around him. Bruce's eyes widen as he holds back any further attempts at attacking the man.

"Woah, you might wanna cool your jets, little Brucie - the excitement can be very...explosive - eh? See what I did there?" Jerome waves the gun in his hand around "See...I don't wanna end it all by just rotting away like some diseased animal, I want to go out with a bang and a bang I shall go out on" he tabs the gun against the bomb vest "I always wanted to paint da town crazy and it looks like I am finally going to get my wish. Truth be told, Brucie. I never had a long-term plan of survival - that's just not the way I like to do things...- I'm not just a common criminal...I am a showman, and I sure do like to take pride in my work"

"...I am going to beat you in an inch of your life..." Bruce growls "I will make you pay for what you have done...I will make you regret coming back and I will stop you, Jerome. You are nothing special, just another madman in the city...your flare fizzled out a long time ago..." Bruce's voice was full of anger and hostility towards Jerome whose only response came in the form a shrug. Jerome pats Bruce's shoulder as he uses his other hand to aim his gun at the kid that was crying next to his newly deceased mother.

"That poor little squirt seems to be taking it hard, whatcha say that we put him out of his misery?"

"NO! YOU WOULDN'T..." Bruce yells as he glares at Jerome "If you want to kill me...then fine, let these people go! They have nothing to do with this, Jerome!" he spits at the ginger. Jerome scoffs and rolls his eyes at the sight of Bruce's outburst.

"Nothing to do with this? What does the colour green and the number: seven have in common, Brucie?" Jerome steps forward "Absolutely nothing, but that doesn't mean that they can't be in the same room as each other. They are just there...that's it, there is no underlining connection or even correlation - that's the funny thing about life, Bruce. Things you wouldn't think were related often find themselves closer than you know" Jerome whacks the gun across Bruce's face.

Bruce spits as he is knocked back, however, the two men did their best to hold him in place "Truth be told, Brucie. I have no vendetta against you, I honestly would say that I might like you a tad - even when you were that cowering, snivelling little bastard whose throat I held my knife to, you still went up there - even when you knew the danger of what might happen" Jerome cackles as he once against whacks Bruce across his face with his gun, this time from the opposite direction "Maybe in another lifetime...we could have been friends, not the normal kind, but kindred spirits but I'm afraid that isn't who are to each other - we both want each other dead...so why not come to a compromise so that we can both get what we want..."

"If you didn't have that vest on...I would beat the life out of you..." Bruce's now blood-soaked lips quiver as he eyes the vest that Jerome was wearing "I am going to stop this, I am going to stop you...this will end tonight, Jerome..."

* * *

**7: 11 PM**

**Wayne Manner**

"Hey-Hey...you alright?"

Harvey Dent's eyes open to the sight of Harleen leaning over him. He sits upon the floor and rubs his head "Agh...my head is killing me.." Dent's eyes widen as he forces himself up onto his feet and quickly looks around the living room. He swiftly calms down when he sees that only he and Harleen were present "Wha-What happened to those psychos? What happened to them?" he turns to face Harleen who return a confused look.

"I don't know...they knocked me out right after they hit you over the head..., by the time I came too...they were gone. They must have figured that we weren't worth their time or somethin' like that" the blonde conveys her words as unsure and somewhat full of fear as if she didn't believe herself "But are you alright, Mr Dent? Getting hit on the back of the head like that sure is going to need one hell of a painkiller...c' mon. Alfred...he told me where to find the first aid kits in case of an emergency"

"Never mind that, Harleen! We need to get out of here just in case those madmen come back here" Harvey protests.

Harleen adjusts her glasses and smiles "I wouldn't worry, I got a feeling that they won't be coming here - just call it a gut feeling" she steps towards Harvey and stands on her tip-toes as she tries to get a good look of the back of the man's head "Looks like there is some bleeding. I may not be a medical professional, but I got a feelin' that bleeding from the head isn't a good sign. We really should get that patched up - I would even advice for ya to go see a doctor after all the madness outside subsides, until now...you may have to do with just some bandages"

"Yeah, I guess that you are-" Harvey abruptly stops in mid-sentence as he begins to pat down his blazer "No...no...no...no..." he alarms as he becomes more frantic and less in control of his own emotions. His eyes widen as he searching becomes much less precise and just non-sensical "It's gone! How can it be gone...no...no...NO!"

"Harvey? Harvey? HARVEY? What's wrong?" Harleen asks confused.

"My coin! My coin, it's gone...those bastards must have taken it! This...can't be happening, no...no...no...please...no...I couldn't have lost it...no...I couldn't of...that's just not...right" Harvey stresses as he begins to breathe heavily "No...how could...I let it be stolen like that...how could...I...?"

"Hey" Harleen sighs as she drops down on the couch and rests her hands in her lap "...It's my fault, Harvey. I shouldn't have been so scared of them...if I was only stronger...I could have prevented them from taking the coin..." she lowers her head and looks to the floor "I'm so sorry, Harvey...I know how much that coin meant to you...I shoulda done somethin', I should have thought of a way to stop them...but I was just too frail and week to do anything about it..." she takes off her glasses and rests them on the table beside her "...I never could help my friends...I'm just such a failure, geez...I'm pathetic..." Harleen heartbrokenly whimpers as she wipes a tear from her eye.

"No...don't be like that..." Harvey breaths out as he sits beside her "It's my fault...I was carrying my most prized possession in such a nonchalant way. It was bound to happen sooner or later, so please don't go blaming yourself, Harleen. I couldn't ask you to put yourself in such danger like that...I should have been more careful with it and now it's...gone" he slides his hand over Harleen's right shoulder "I just need to try and find Devlin and make him give it back...if he is even still in Gotham, after today - I won't be surprised to learn that he skipped town. Breaking into the home of the wealthiest man in Gotham can't possibly go down well for him..."

"I still feel bad about it though, I got that feeling when you are going to feel bad about somethin' happenin' even when your friends tell you that it's not your fault" Harleen confesses with a strong sense of regret "Without that coin...there could arise some problems for you, Harvey. That coin helped alleviate most of your insecurities, trying to adjust to everyday life without it may prove far more difficult for you than even I originally hypothesised" she tells the man sat beside her.

"I'll be fine, I have to be..., I don't think that I have a choice in the matter" Harvey nervously replies "Until...we can find a way...to solve this - I don't how I can do that or if it is even possible, but I can't just not try at all. I'm going to keep fighting for Gotham, no matter what it will take..." Harvey smiles, though slightly weak in nature it was still full of goodwill towards Harleen "And, I can count on you to help me cope with it all...because right now, I no longer have a choice, so I would apricated it...if you...could keep this between us...for now, can I count on you?"

Harleen sheepishly nods "Believe me when I say that you can count on me to get inside your head"

"Well..." Harvey stands up as he glances around the room at the broken glass all around the floor "I'm going to call Gordon and see if he can a team out here asap so we can begin locating Devlin and his breakfast club" he reaches into the inner pockets of his blazer and pulls out his phone and flips it open "Hopefully the outside world has completely gone to hell enough that James can still answer, I rather get this matter solved sooner than later..."

"Hold on, wait just a sec" Harleen jumps to her feet and places her hand over the man's phone "I can't imagine that would be the best course of action to take for the moment. You said it yourself that the commissioner has last control of his own police force - how do you not know that some of them may take the opportunity to frame you for another crime? Plus, I don't trust the cops myself, the GCPD has a hard rep of being in the Gotham criminals payroll - I don't feel safe knowing that any one of them may take the chance to finish me off - Me being here is supposed be a secret for a reason" the blonde explains to Harvey who takes a few moments to think over her words.

"I know Gordon - he will only choose the men and women that he has the most trust in. Believe me, Gordon is not going to let anything happen to you - and neither am I or Bruce. We are all here for you, but you are going to need to trust us three - no one else, but you need to try and have faith in us" Harvey tries to reassure the blonde woman who takes a deep breath and folds her arms.

"Easier said than done, I can trust both you and Bruce fine, but its Gordon that I am worried about..."

"Don't worry, Gordon is the furthest thing from being corrupted. He's a good man trying to do his best in this city, so is Bruce and so am I" Dent replies. He sees no change in Harleen's sceptical look at him. He could tell that she herself was having a much harder time than she would want to admit.

"Back when I worked at Arkham, we had a saying. The greatest way to hide one's bad deeds is not to deny one's guilt but to boast about one's own innocence, if the world only sees a person's good intentions, they will become blind to obvious path to hell that they are walking down" Harleen then picks up her glasses and puts them back on over her eyes "I'm sorry - you must think that I sound crazy. I just 'ain't in the mood to trust any sorta cop at the sec' - we can sort this mess our ourselves"

"Alright, alright, I understand how you are feeling - we'll keep this on the down-low from Jim and the G.C.P.D, we are going to need to tell Bruce about tonight, Harleen. He should know that a bunch of maniacs broke into his house, plus are we just going to pretend that Bruce isn't going to notice the broken glass the moment that he walks in the door?" Harvey suggests as he slides his phone back into his coat, looking back he once again sees Harleen looking nervous.

"Harvey...we can't, you can't tell him"

"Uh? Why not? Bruce is my friend - I just can't just not tell him that his home was compromised - I'm going to tell him" Harvey quickly argues, not with any adversary in his voice, but instead with a calm and collected tone, one that was split into trying to comfort the blonde next to him and the other half for looking out for his friend "He could be in great danger, whatever if they come back tomorrow or something...and like...I dunno, attack Bruce while he's sleeping?"

"C' mon, Harvey...Bruce is going through enough at the moment. He lost Alfred...just imagine how much that is hurtin' him...he hasn't been home in days and isn't even answering any of your calls" Harleen gives a tame smile towards Dent "That last thing that he needs is to be worrying about us two. Just give him some time to get back to his normal self before you go worrying him about this" Harleen looks towards the broken windows of the room "We can both clean this up together and can even order some more security equipment, but I don't want Bruce needlessly having to worry over us...he's been through enough lately"

"...You're right..." Harvey runs his right hand through his hair "...Bruce sure has had a lot to deal with recently...I don't want to add to that, I always hated to be a burden on others and Bruce definitely does not need that right now" he clenches left hand into a fist "...I usually don't like lying...after all, it's my job to make sure that the truth comes out, but it is to stop any more unneeded stress for Bruce...then I'll do it" he slowly shakes his head "I don't like it, but I'll do it...for Bruce"

* * *

**City Hall**

**Elsewhere...**

Jerome grabs Bruce's hair and yanks it up while he holds the gun in his hand to the man's throat "I just shot a loving mother is cold, cold, cold blood...just like your one was...right? That should make you angry...it should make you wanna kill me, it should make you jump onto me and beat me until your knuckles bleed..." he chuckles as he then press the gun against the dark-haired man's neck "But...here you are, so composed, so calm...just so boring! Where's the tears? The screams? WHY ARE YOU SO BORING!"

Jerome jumps on the spot and growls "Do I need to kill the kid too? What would it take for you to...to...breakdown into the scared, pathetic kid who is deep inside that brooding mind of yours? This...is supposed to be our night, yet I am doing ALL THER WORK!?" Jerome turns his head towards the still grieving kid "Fine...make it all about you, Brucie...how selfish of you..." he presses his finger against the trigger "Very...well...time to spice things up!" Jerome snaps his head back towards Bruce and shoots both of them holding Bruce in their heads.

Bruce's face was splattered with the blood of the two men as they were propelled to the floor "Alright, Brucie...I killed your butler and that kid's mother, now will you be ever so kind and make a move because are-" Jerome was knocked onto the ground by a punch from Bruce.

Bruce jumps onto him and rams his fist across his face, over and over which each connection causing Jerome's grin to grow in size "That's! OW, the, OW, SPIRIT!"

"You are going to pay for this...for every deprived deed that you have done - you will pay for them all" Bruce rams his fist across Jerome's face once more, quickly using his other hand to grab the wire of Jerome's bomb vest and rips it out, deactivating it. The ginger spits up blood into Bruce's eyes; causing the man to flinch. Jerome lifts the gun to Bruce's stomach and fires. Bruce bawls and was fast to cover the wound with his left hand and applied pressure to it. Jerome brought the gun up and whacks it across Bruce's head which rolled him off of him and to the floor beside him.

"I don' know Bruce - that's quite the list..." Jerome rolls on top of Bruce and holds the gun to his head "...It would be much quicker if you counted all the deprived things that I haven't done" he whacks Bruce across his face once again with the weapon in hand, and again and again "I had such a good plan - I made it for us, for us both to go out in a blaze of glory! But you are. just. so. boring. You couldn't even put in the effort for a fake smile! Now, what kind of manners is that!"

"My kind" Bruce headbutts Jerome which forces the man back up. Bruce, now bruised and bloodied across his face wastes no time as he jumps to his feet and kicks Jerome in the stomach. Jerome was backed against the set of doors to the room, however, he was still smiling. Bruce limps after Jerome while he still holds his hand against his gunshot wound. Blood was oozing out, leaking all over his hand and dripping onto the floor which left a trail as Bruce keeps making his way towards Jerome "Keeping this up will only result in getting yourself killed!" Bruce coughs.

"'Ello little Brucie, I'm already dying! What the hell do I care about death now? If you wanna stop then come an' ghet meh! Don't take too long or I might explode with excitement along with this whole building...once I get this thing fixed!" Jerome waves his arms as he bursts out of the room and runs "Come an' catch meh!" his laughter becomes quieter as the distance between quickly increases. Bruce tries to take another step but falls onto his knees. He breathes heavily, exhausted and in pain.

"JEROME!"

Bruce looks down to his jacket and uses his hand to tear off a long strip from it. He removes his blood-soaked hand from his wound and quickly wraps the material around his torso and wound. He knots the material, tightly fastening to stop the blood from leaking out. Bruce's eyes narrow and he grits his teeth. He stands back up and drags his feet across the floor. He grabs his coat and throws it off and onto the ground, and he begins to follow the sound of the laughter.

Lightning strikes down and the rain storms down viciously as Jerome runs out of city hall and down the stone steps while Bruce lagged behind and stops at the top of the stone steps as he looks down to Jerome. The redhead man stops and looks up to Bruce as he brings his gun up and aims it at Bruce "You wanna know something, Brucie? You are a real buzzkill! Here I was hoping for an exciting, heart racing and blood boiling epic chase...but you are limping around like some someone shot you" Jerome glances down to his gun "Oh-yeah, that's right..."

"This-this...this is over, Jerome! You crossed a line, taking away Alfred, kidnapping all those people and shooting the boy's mother! You just couldn't do it, could you? You have had three separate chances at life...and you have wasted them all!" Bruce growls down.

Jerome shrugs "It's honestly a subjective opinion, I for one feel like that I have made good use of them all!" he leans forward and grins "And those people don't care about you or the fact that you saved them! They will always see use as just the one percent, someone who they can villainise and blame for all of their problems! Bit of advice, Bruce - you are hanging with the wrong crowd! Those people hate you, despise you...in a way...I was doing you a favour by killing those whiny, unhappy, damn right miserable pests - they would rather have you dead - they all hate you and you are all too willing to save them!"

"My mother and father gave everything for this city and its people and I am more than honoured to follow in their footsteps! I will give it my all to stop people like you from terrorizing this city!" Bruce steps down onto the next concrete step. The duo were both soaked by the rain, from head to toe as they glare at each other. The rain has caused Bruce's once combed back hair to fall down over his face and Jerome's hair was a mess, knotted and stuck to his forehead.

"You gonna get shot and killed in an alley just like your mama and papa too? Because I can help with that one" Jerome points his gun back up at Bruce "There is no winning this war, Bruce. The world is packed to the brim with people like me! You, people, like to think that I am someone special, someone, that stands out from the others - someone who fuels the flames, right?" Jerome presses his finger against the trigger " That couldn't be further from the truth! You tell yourselves that lie to make the whole world appear as less scary than it actually is! The truth is that I may have been the first, but there will always be someone who will rock this city's foundation to its core! If you can't see that then you are the one who is really crazy"

"You're not going to shoot me, Jerome" Bruce takes another step down the steps "There is no one here to see you kill me...there is no one to see your moment of victory, and that bothers you. Your arrogance has always been your undoing - no matter how many times you come back..." Bruce takes another step down "...You were always your worst enemy, and now you have nothing to gain from killing me..." Bruce's eyes narrow as his feet land on the last step.

"And I got nothing to lose from killing you either! What's the worst that can happen? I'll die? That's already happening, and I say we put on. one. last. performance. Think of it as...the closing act on our journey together, the crème de la crème of our of finales!" Jerome throws the gun to the ground and pulls out a large knife from his red overcoat and begins to walk forward towards Bruce. The dark-haired man hops down the last step and too heads towards Jerome.

Jerome slashes across with the knife which Bruce back sway from barely gets out of its range. Bruce then paces forward and hits Jerome across his face with his right fist and then repeats the action with his left and for the third time with using his right hand. Lightning strikes down near the ground beside them as raid soaks them, getting into their eyes, nose and even mouths. Bruce and Jerome had trouble just keeping their eyes open from the constant shower.

Jerome runs his knife across Bruce's chest; cutting a fin line across his black shirt and causing bleeding. Bruce instinctively holds his hand to his chest as he backs away. Jerome grins as he strengthens his hold on the knife and goes for another swing, this time cutting across Bruce's hand that was held against his chest "Face it, Brucie! We belong together in hell, think of the carnage that we can do together!" Jerome laughs uncontrollably as he goes for another swing of his knife.

Bruce reflexively uses both of his hands to grab Jerome's wrist and hold back the knife "I'll be happy to send you there" he lifts up his knee and kicks Jerome in the stomach which knocks the redhead man off balance onto the ground. He splashes down in the puddle below him while he still grins. His gloved hand slowly reaches for the gun lying on the ground next to him. Bruce limps forward as he breathes heavily. Jerome jolts up his arm with the gun in hand and aimed at Bruce and fires it.

Bruce's eyes widen as the bullet rams through his left shoulder "I'll go halves with you! Ha!," Jerome sees Bruce step back and his left arm is covered by the blood that trickles down, becoming watery due to the rain that hits them both. Bruce limps back, convulsing as blood drips from his mouth. Jerome uses the time to stand back up and point the gun again at Bruce and holds down the trigger. Jerome's ears prick as he hears the gun click and realizes that it was empty.

Bruce hyperventilates, feeling out of breath and just weak, completely weak. He sees Jerome bring out his knife again and winds up a swing, Bruce sees the knife coming and holds up his arms to cover his chest and face. The knife cuts across the skin of his arms, over and over, each time a new trail of blood slivers down his arms. Bruce waits for Jerome to swing one more time which sliced across his own arms again. Bruce then sees Jerome was now out of breath.

Bruce headbutts Jerome to knock the man off balance and then swiftly wraps his bleeding arm around the man's neck and holds him to his chest as he holds arm tighter, and tighter around his throat, cutting off Jerome's supply of air. Bruce tightens his grip, over and over as he hears the man begin to choke and sees him try to struggle against his grip "This is for Alfred..." he growls as lightning strikes behind both him and Jerome, momentarily igniting them in a blue glow.

Jerome takes the knife in his hand and rams through Bruce's leg; causing the dark-haired man to howl in pain. Jerome manages to break free of Bruce's hold and grab the gun that one the ground and whacks it across Bruce's face, over and over "Your butler sure is going to be disappointed then..." he laughs as he strikes Bruce's face again. Bruce collapses on the ground lying on his sides, he tries to push himself up, before he could get a result, Jerome kicks him in the stomach which rolled Bruce to lie on his back and holds his sides.

"You're full of darkness, Brucie - it's like a there's a monster deep inside you that is trying claw its way out..." Jerome smirks as he kicks Bruce in the sides "You need to let it tear its way out of you...don't fight it, there is no need to be afraid - it will make everything just so clear...it will make everything seem unimportant and make the world your playground…" Jerome delivers another kick to the man's sides "It's who you are, Bruce," said Jerome as he kneels down to face Bruce.

"I know who I am..." Bruce hisses as he pulls the knife out of his leg and rams it into Jerome's foot; making the man scream in agony. Jerome's eyes widen as he brings both of his hands to the handle of the knife that was rammed in his foot and tries to pull it out. Bruce sits up and punches Jerome in the face which intern drops him to the ground just like Bruce was mere moments ago. Bruce yanks the knife out of Jerome's foot which drew a yelp from the redhead.

Bruce kneels over him and holds the knife over his head "I-I am so proud of you, Brucie..., you're a natural! Ima gonna miss our little chats, go on...do it.." Jerome sniggers as he sees Bruce's hand tighten around the handle of the knife "...Go on...kill little old me and avenge your poor manservant, it's what you want. I can see it in your eyes, Brucie...it's so...alluring" Jerome closes his eyes and smiles "I can see why my brother has such a fascination with you..., I just wish that I saw it sooner..., us two? We could have become legends together..."

Unknown to the two, Selina Kyle stands at the top of the stone steps as she silently watches the scene unfold before her own eyes. She has been there for most of it, just getting there after the first few blows were exchanged. She wanted to speak up, to tell Bruce that she was there for him, but as much as she hated agreeing with Talia, she needed to trust Bruce, and if Talia was true to her world; Bruce will make the right decision even if wasn't the one that she would make.

Bruce's hands squeeze around the handle of the knife, his breath slowed and the whole world suddenly seemed to stop around both him and Jerome. The rain that poured on them, the thunder and lightning that stormed down all across the city - they all just seemed insignificant to him. Bruce suddenly found himself looking at the ground by Jerome's shoulder where a large puddle was and in it, Bruce was not shown his own image but that of the dark knight, Batman who mimicked all of his own movement.

"I know who I am...and you don't get to take that away from me..." Bruce hurls the knife across the ground and looks back to Jerome. Bruce grabs Jerome's shoulders "You don't get to win, not after all that you have done, not after the people that you hurt, you don't deserve that luxury"

"I deserve to die, Brucie and you...know...it..." Jerome turns his head "...If...you can't settle with killing me...then you get to be...stuck with...not saving me..." Jerome weakly lifts left hand and wrapped it around Bruce's wrist "...And that will sting just...as...much, won't it? Either...way...I win... because this city...isn't made...for heroes..., it...has always...belonged to the...villains, Godspeed Brucie,...Godspeed..." Jerome's grip weakens around Bruce's wrist.

"When I said that you don't get to win, I meant it..." Bruce whispers as he struggles to stand to his feet, he rests his left hand over his chest and slowly turns his head to see Selina standing on top of the steps. Bruce slowly shakes his head "S-Selina?" he takes a couple of steps before he drops to the ground. Selina's eyes widen, she hurries down the steps and to Bruce in a panic. She sees Bruce trying to get back up, but his knees keep failing and dropping him back onto the ground, over and over.

"Bruce? Bruce? Hold on" she lays her left arm under the man's head and her right-hand presses against the wound in his stomach "Bruce...hang in there...I need to tell you something, It's..." she was cut off by Bruce's attempt to sit up.

"J-jacket, in there...has...Lazar-" Bruce stammers as he points to City Hall.

"Wait a moment, Bruce...I need to tell you about Alfred, he's alive, he's alive - the one who died, it was...it was a clone" Selina tells Bruce who look to her in a shocked manner "That's right...that's right, Alfred - he's out there...you haven't lost him yet"

"He's alive?" Bruce blinks the water out of his eyes "Jerome,...he didn't win..." Selina helps Bruce to his feet and helps him walk. Bruce turns his head to Selina "Selina, need my jacket from - inside...it has...Lazarus water in...syringe" Bruce breaths heavily.

"Lazarus? You never going to kill him were you?" Selina asks as she sets Bruce down on the bottom step.

"No, but I wanted to..." Bruce confesses as Selina looks up at City Hall "He's a clone, Selena - and that meant that he was going die...I grabbed some Lazarus water from the pit" Bruce's hands settle on his chest "My clone used the Lazarus to constantly reverse the defects, but it never fully cured it. He had to undergo the process every few months, it won't buy Jerome much time, but it will be enough to answer for all that he has done..."

"Stay here, I'm going to get it" she runs up the steps.

"Selina! There are hostages there too! You need to untie them!" Bruce calls out, holding his sides in pain. Bruce rests his head on the steps above "Alfred, I'll find you - I swear"

After untying all the hostages and watching them run out of the room, Selina's eyes find themselves looking at a discarded black jacket on the ground. She kneels down beside it and searches through it and sure enough, she finds the syringe and pulls it out and holds it in her open palm. Once her eyes lay upon it, they suddenly become lifeless and still, not showing any emotion. She slowly makes her hand into a fist and crushes the glass; shattering it and letting the Lazarus water pour from her hand onto the ground.

She snaps back to reality and shudders as she sees the broken glass in her hand "What...just happened...?" she ponders, very confused and worried that she couldn't recall what happened. Unknown to her Joker kneels his head over her shoulder and grins, brushing his index finger under her chin. He breathes down her neck, yet Selina couldn't tell that there was someone behind her, she couldn't even see that shadow of the man. It was like he didn't exist to her.

"You did as you were told my dear, such a good girl you are..." Joker chuckles "I knew about the Lazarus water thanks to a certain birdy in my ranks, and I couldn't have Jerome taking away my precious Bruce's attention from me..., this city only has room for one of us...and that's Joker" the man in the purple suit stands up and holds his arms behind his back "Listen up, kitty. You are going to tell Bruce that the poor little hostages trampled over his coat when they were in a hurry to get out..., he can't be mad at you for checking on them first...in fact, it's what he would have done..."

Selina's eyes shut and she holds her hand to her head "Agghh…" she groans as her head begun to hurt like hell.

"Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!"

* * *

**8: 57 PM**

"Dead! I want him dead! I want him sliced open and ripped apart!" Sophia Falcone growls, storming across the well-lit docks of Gotham bay. Her right arm was held against her chest in a sling and she had a band-aid over her forehead that covered a large scar "I can take many things, but being humiliated...is not one of them...," beside her was a wheelchair-bound Tony Zucco who managed to keep up with the woman's pace, rolling the wheels with his hands.

"Stop complain' 'bout how bad you have it, I was thrown at moving freakin' limo! I think that I have a more just excused to be pissed" Zucco says irritated "He freakin' broke my legs," he looks ahead at the end of the docks where were men were standing. Both he and Falcone made their way to the other two at the end.

"Oh shut up, Zucco - no one cares" Sophia grumbles.

"Aye, you're gonna trash talk a crippled man? How low..." Tony rolled his eyes.

"You were always crippled - just now the outside matches up with the inside, now you're not just a dumbass - you're a wheelchair-bound dumbass" Falcone scoffs, turning her head to face away from the man, she sees Black Mask turns to face her along with the other man stood next to him.

"Ah..." Black Mask, dressed in a black suit holds out his arms to green the two incoming "What do we have here? I believe it is...none of other than the prestigious Sophia Falcone and the abominable Tony Zucco - I see that you two had a rough night, let me guess..., Batman?"

"*Abominable*? Oh, come on - I'm crippled man, can't you give me a break?" Zucco sighs.

"Shut up, Zucco - no one cares," Black Mask casual said, he places his gloved palms together and intertwines his fingers "You two...oh...you two..." the eyes from under his mask narrow as a clear sign of annoyance forms "...you let Batman get the file! You absolute dumbasses! I GAVE YOU ONE JOB AND YOU SCREW IT UP!"

"To be fair, Sionis - we didn't expect for Batman to suddenly show up" Zucco tries to reason.

"You didn't expect him?" Black Mask glances all-around "You didn't expect him? YOU DIDN'T EXPECT HIM!?" he yells "YOU MEAN YOU ARE THAT INCOMPETENT!"

"Relax, Batman will just probably think that it was just a regular meteor and nothing special" Sophia counters.

"Or maybe...I WILL JUST PROBABLY SHOOT YOU FOR SUCH A IDIOTIC DISPLAY OF YOUR INTELLIGENCE! do you...honestly...think that he'll just think that you two just suddenly took up star gazing?" the venom in Black Mask's voice was unnerving, almost haunting to the two.

"You know when *he* finds out about this...he will make you suffer" the man stood beside Black Mask says. He was dressed in a purple shirt with a black tie under a black overcoat, the man was bold and looked to be in his late twenties. Lex Luthor holds his hands in his pockets as he glances back and forth between the two right in front of him "I have not done all this just so that you two can mess it up! I have worked long and hard for what he has promised us - and I will not let you compromise that"

"Really, Luthor?" Sophia Falcone raises an eyebrow "May I remind you of the mess that you made in Metropolis? Batman and Superman screwed you over a lot harder - last time I checked that project you were working on was taken into police custody - so remind me? Whose compromising who?"

Luthor moves his hands out of his pockets and opens his right palm where the small wooden case was shown. He pulls it open and shows Sophia a black crystal that glowed with an ominous violet layer "I own the police, my dear..., what you are looking at is Black Kryptonite, a power source stronger than any star in the universe, and the perfect magnet to draw the meteor to us"

"Hold...on I thought that magnets are made of metal, how can a meteorite be a magnet?" Zucco says puzzled.

"Oh...you are such a dumbass" Sophia groans.

Black Mask scoffs "Well...looks like Mr Luthor actually managed to do his part, and didn't screw up - best news that I have heard all day"

"Wait..." Zucco looks at Sophia, Black Mask and then Lex "There's only four of us, aren't there supposed to be five of us? Where's the demon's head? Wasn't she supposed to show up?"

"Well...you see..." Black Mask steps forward "She's doing this thing...called...ACTUALLY GETTING HER JOB DONE AND NOT SITTING ON HER ASS MAKING A FOOL OF BOTH HERSELF AND ME...Like you and miss Falcone seem to be doing...a lot lately..."

* * *

**9: 16 PM**

**Wayne Manner**

"That was stupid, Bruce..." Jim stands with his arms folded as he looks to Bruce and Selena who were in the living room of Wayne Manner "Your actions ended up costing the life of a mother and her son is beyond traumatized! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

"Jerome wanted me...and you know what he would have done if I didn't show up, I couldn't risk it" Bruce sat beside Selina on the couch while Gordon stands in front of him. Bruce lifts his head to the commissioner "I just couldn't sit back and let all those people die..."

"Oh? So you were just happy walking into danger, getting shot, stabbed? You should have called me, Bruce - you should called anyone, the G.C.P.D? You know... the people who swear an oath to protect the people of Gotham? Ringing any bells?" Gordon's tired voice hit home with Bruce, like he could feel the disappointment, the frustration. He could have sworn that he heard almost every negative emotion coming from the older man's voice. Bruce doubts that Jim has ever been as mad with him as he was being now.

"Jim..." Selina bats her eyes and looks up to the man "Bruce was trying to make the best out of a bad situation, the G.C.P.D were all swarmed with all the riots and you sure wouldn't have made it in time to save those people. You may not like it, and I think what he was stupid too, but Bruce did the best that he could. He managed to save most of the people, which is a lot more than if you got there when you did..." the dark-haired woman says with honestly.

"Don't try to be sweet with me, young lady - you are in just as much hot water as Bruce, I got eye-witness reports that say that you were the one to free them. You actively contaminated a crime scene, and went out of line - you went to the circus where you had no idea of what dangers would happen there..." Gordon stresses "You could have gotten yourself killed..., and you..." he turns his head to Bruce "You started a confrontation with a guy who had a bomb vest on, how stupid can you be? You could have died, Jerome could have died and all those people there...could have died!"

"I-know what I did was foolish, but...there wasn't another way, it was going down then and there..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Gordon aggresses his tone "What you did was beyond dangerous and stupid, you played right into Jerome's hands -just like he wanted and knew that he would! Actions have consequences and don't be surprised if they don't come back to haunt you!" he grits his teeth "After all these years, you two are still acting like children! No...even worse...you are trying to be heroes - when you know what this city does to those people!"

"Look! I get it, you are the guy who people turn to when stuff goes wrong...whoopty doo..., you don't get it do you, Jim? You are not the man who you were all these years ago and you will never be again, you are older, less mobile and a liability when it comes to the serious stuff..." Selina slowly stands up and glares at Jim "You can't be the light of Gotham anymore, you can't keep the order or save Gotham, this city has chipped too much at you - you need to realize that what Bruce did today...is exactly what you would have done all those years ago"

"..." Jim was silent as he turns to Bruce.

"Selina...," Bruce stands up and looks to the girl beside him "That's enough, I don't want us to fight. That's the last thing that we need right now, I screwed up - I know that, and I'm sorry..." Bruce slowly turns to face Jim he holds his cut and bruised arms down by his sides "...But if it was needed to save lives, Jim...I would do it again in a heartbeat, and again until it kills me..., that is the way that I was raised and that is the man that I want to be, you may not like it, but I won't step down, not now... - not ever"

"I know you won't, Bruce" Jim sighs "But that doesn't mean that I have to like it"

the billionaire nods "Fine, now onto the next matter - Alfred...we need to find him"

Gordon tenses up "Listen, Bruce...just because that wasn't Alfred, doesn't mean he is still alive..., if we do find him, I hope you know what you might find - and be ready if it's not what you wanted" he holds his hand over Bruce's shoulder "Someone is messing with us, they have stacked the deck in their favour and I got a bad feeling that it all has something to do with the breakout at Arkham and Blackgate"

"Trust me, Jim - nothing will stop me from finding Alfred, I don't care who's behind this or what they want, I will find Alfred," Bruce tells the commissioner with a scowl.

"*We* will find him, Bruce" Jim turns his head away "Jerome is dead and his being taken away far from Gotham to be cremated, luckily most of the rioters all disbanded once they got new that Jerome was taken out" From outside the room, Harleen stands with her ear pressed against the gap between the door.

* * *

**Later...**

"Are you sure that you are going to be okay? Those vicious creeps did a number on you. I couldn't recommend seeing a doctor more, you could have got a concussion" Harleen worries, sitting on a king-sized bed with Harvey sitting beside her "Don' get me wrong. I am grateful that you are helping me keep what happened today a secret for my safety, but don't let that stop you from goin' and gettin' the medical attention that you need..."

"I'm good, trust me" Harvey bring his right hand to the back of his head "Sure it's still throbbing, but apart from that I feel fine, well...except for having the coin stolen. That part really is bothering me, my father gave that to me on his death bed..., I was kind of hoping to one day pass it down to my own son...you know, like some families pass down vases or watches, but you know...with a coin, it may sound preposterous that a coin can mean that much to a person"

"Believe me, Harvey. I have heard a lot of strange things in my career, your so-called obsession, a coin? Is quite refreshingly tame and kinda wholesome if you think about it. Holding onto that coin musta felt like your old man was with you through every difficulty that you have faced.." Harleen smiles "Honestly, I'm kinda jealous of you - I wish that I had such a keepsake from my father, but I just got what little fond memories I shared with him, and that's more than I can ever ask for..."

"It's odd, I've only known you for less than a day - yet I feel so...calm and conformable around you and talking to you about my...well-uh, you know. It's amazing to finally be able to tell someone all of this, I never wanted to worry Bruce, and Jim would deem too unfit to campaign for mayor" Harvey smiles too "Thank you"

"It's nothin'. It was my job to help sort out people's turmoil, and I'm just glad that I helped you. Most people I do this with...well...have a tendency to be well...not very nice people"

Harvey stands up "For a while now I have thought that the whole world was turning against me, trying to keep kicking me while I am down, trying to make give up on the city - but now I know what to do. I need to bounce back, even stronger and show the people that I can bring them a safer Gotham, a better Gotham and when I do...I want all of my friends by my side...which now I guess includes you" Harleen stands up and walks with Harvey until they reach the door to her room "Goodnight, Harleen"

"You're not going to talk to Bruce? I thought you would have wanted to talk to him" Harleen opens the door to her room and stands against it "You have been worried sick and all, did you hear about that stunt that he pulled earlier? If I didn't know any better...I would think that he was crazy for doing something...so reckless..."

"Eh...it makes me feel better to say that he's just eccentric" He heads out of the room, turning back to see the blonde "I would go and congratulate him about saving all those people, but...he's with Selina and that usually only goes two ways. One: They argue. Two: They do something else that I don't feel conformable walking in on, take care"

"Night, try to take it easy" Harleen waves at the man before she closes the door. Her eyes narrow and her lips curve into a smile as she locks the door behind her. She walks forward and lifts her arm up, opening her hand up. A double-sided coin rests in her palm "And...that went way better than even I thought..."

* * *

Bruce stands on the small balcony of his room. He looks out to the distances to Gotham that shines. His hair is gently blown by the small gusts of wind along with his shirt. He looks down, holding onto the railing. He was amazed by how peaceful Gotham looked from this far away, like it was a completely different city, one that isn't flawed, or dangerous - it looks beautiful like his parents always thought the city to be. He hears footsteps coming from behind him.

A small smile forms on his face "You are getting better at that, but you still need to work on it"

"How are you holding up? I know that the last few days have...been hard for you..." Selina walks beside him and leans her chest over the railing, using her arms to support her upper body "You want to talk about it, Bruce? I can't imagine how hard it has been for you..."

"Selina..." Bruce looks up to the shrouded sky, covered in clouds with the moon high above shinning through the darkness "...I don't know how I am. I don't know how I am feeling..., this whole thing - I have just been going from one point to another, I never took the time to think about how I was acting, now that I looked back at..." he lets a small sigh "...It's like I was a different person, like what Alfred told me finally came true..." he lowers his head and looks to Selina "That the monster that I created, Batman...may be a force far stronger than I can control, the anger..., the pain...it all just consumed me...like Bruce didn't exist and there was only...him"

Selina moves her hand over Bruce's "...You are Batman, Bruce. What you did to all those people out of anger, the way you savagely hurt them..., that wasn't some dark force or powerful prescience, it was all you, Bruce" she rests her head on the man's shoulder "...Bruce, I care about you too much to lie to you - but you have something in you, some darkness that you need to face before it consumes you, the thought of you losing Alfred - it made you...well...I was scared of you, Bruce and I never want to feel like that again"

"I was scared too..., I am still scared of what I can do..." Bruce looks back up to the sky "...I wish Alfred was here, he always knew what to say..."

"He would want you to do what you think is right, he always trusted you to make the right call..." Selina hums as she too looks up to the sky "As long as you keep going with what you think is the right thing to do, you will keep making him proud..."

"That's what's worrying me..., doing what I think is right has felt...so...wrong lately, what if...what if...one day, I feel that the right thing to do...is to...kill someone, to end the life of a person to save loads more? I don't know what I would do..."

"I do" Selina smiles as her green eyes look up at Bruce "The exact same thing that you did tonight, find another way, like you always do, the reason why Alfred is so proud of all" she resettles her head over the man's shoulders "Tonight, you showed the city that it just doesn't have Batman to protect it, you showed them that Bruce Wayne is just as much of a hero" she closes her eyes and smiles "Batman, the dark knight of Gotham and Bruce Wayne, Gotham's White Knight..., you can really do it all, can't you?"

"It's hard, but seeing the people that I have in my life...it makes it all worth it, it shows me that I am fighting for something important, it shows me that I have people who I want to protect, that I am surrounded by the best people that I possibly could be..."

"Even...Harleen? I think she's a little...annoying" Selina hums.

"Eh? The Brooklyn accent is kinda charming" Bruce jokes with a small chuckle.

Selena jolts the man in the sides with her elbow "But...I'm still the best girl in your life, right. I'm still the hottest, right?"

"Eh...this a trick question? Because...I kinda feel that you are baiting me right now..., are you baiting me?" Bruce says playfully.

"No. I am legitimately asking you if I am the hottest girl to you, I am being serious, very serious" Selina gives a playful smile "C'mon, we both know that I am, so there's no being in stalling - just come out and say what we already know..."

"I-uh, you're-uh...I-uh...you're...you're up there" Bruce guffaws as he wraps his arm around the woman's waist and brings her closer "You-uh...you have your moments - a tone of them, but you...still haven't returned the diamond yet..., now returning stolen goods that you original stole is one of my kinks, you doing that will skyrocket you to the top "

"Really? So...me returning your heart will make me top tier? I'm not sure that I'm quite ready to give that back quite yet"

"Well-un...nice on..."

"Oh...thank you, Mr Wayne - I do try" she lifts her head and nuzzles her nose into Bruce's neck "I...can do a lot of other *nice* things too, I'll be happy to show you some of them...if you ask nicely"

"I guess I got five minutes to spare" Bruce feels tingly as Selina keeps nuzzling against his neck.

"*Only five*? I think that we can do better than that...a lot better..."

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

James Gordon dials his phone and holds it to his ear, hearing ringing on the other end "Doctor Langstrom? It's me, Gordon. I've been calling you all night, I checked Gotham General and they told me that you take the nights off. I was wondering if we could find somewhere to meet and talk" from the safety of his office, Gordon looks out through the blinds at Harvey Bullock who appeared to be conversing with a few other cops "...I don't think that Alfred Pennyworth was the only decoy...I need you to run some tests, please get back to me..."

"I think that the safety of Gotham depends on how we play the next few days..."

"Please...when you can, call me back"

The answering machine echoes, going lower into the house, the basement was dark, leaking with the only source of light coming from the small window from the wall. At the corner of the room was a metal cage with thick bars. An inhuman growl echoes through the whole room as three overgrown claws covered in black hair slice across the wall; creating three marks across it. The creature behind the marks screeches at two crimson red eyes glow from within the darkness.

"GGggGRRrrRrAAaaAHhhhH!"


	21. Kingdom Comes Now and No Later

**Kingdom Comes Now and No Later**

* * *

**6: 47 AM**

**[16 Hours Until Operation: Knightfall]**

"Yo, check this out!"

"Really? A hobo? What kinda goods can he have on him?"

Two men with their lower faces covered and dressed in winter-clothes talk to each other as a frail-old looking man, dressed in dirty clothes and a long grey beard stumbles in front of them "That watch, check it!" one of the men fires back as he grabs the homeless man's wrist and pulls it up which dragged the man along with it. The two men grin as they see a gold watch on the other man's wrist "Yo, you ghat a watch like dis and still homeless? Are you also brainless too?"

"Hey man, gives us the watch nice and easily or we are gonna cut it off of you, and I rather not since who knows what kinda nasties you got on you" the man on the right pulls out a small knife out of his jacket and holds it up at the homeless man.

"No, p-lease, this isn't something that I can just...just give up"

"Okay then, time to cut it off you, time to slice you up!" the man steps forward and plays with the knife in hand, making minute slashes through the air "Open up wide old-man, here comes the airplane!" the advances made the homeless man backway against a brick wall as he looks on in terror as the shadow of the man approaching quickly darkens him.

"Oh...this is going to be messy, I like messy..." the other man said, folding his arms and smirking.

"P-p-please...don't hurt me. I'll give you the w-watch, just don't hurt me, please" the homeless man holds up his arms as he cowers.

"Too late, sunshine! You had a chance for a clean getaway, but you bums always find a reason to annoy me, I'm going to take my time slicing you up-" the approaching masked man was thrown off balance. Blood drips from his mouth as he falls to his knees "Agghhkkk" he squirms.

"Bro, you okay?" the other man leans over and sees a knife sticking out of the man's upper back "Yikes, who the hell did that?" he looks around him and sees no one nearby "Just what is going on? This whole thing is-" he too was knocked to the ground and another knife was thrown into the right side of his chest "What-the?" he says in pain as a third knife was then thrown from up high and into his shoulder; pinning him to the ground which he was lying on.

The homeless man looks up to high above at the surrounding rooftops and stops as he sees a shadowed figure standing atop of the building opposite the man with two white orbs that look down to him. The silhouetted figure holds a pair of daggers in his gloved hands, returning them to the harness around his torso. His white-orb eyes narrow as he turns around steps away from the view of the man from down below. Talon looks out to the outstretches of Gotham, passing his view past Wayne Tower.

"Where are you..." he grows.

* * *

**7: 03 AM**

**Wayne Manner**

Bruce slowly opens his eyes, his vision was blurry but slowly adjusts becoming much more clear and sharper. He feels the comfort of his head resting on the large red pillow behind him still feeling slightly tired, he goes to sit up but stops when he feels something pinning his chest down. He brings his arm up and found himself feeling the skin of another person, very soft. Without moving his head, he glances down to see a dark-haired woman resting her head over his chest.

"Selina?" he thinks to himself, realizing that he was shirtless with the red velvet sheet of his bed covering his bottom half and it wrapping over Selina's body up until her shoulders. Her black hair was messy, slightly knotted and sweaty. Her eyes were closed and she definitely seemed to be missing more than a few articles of clothing. Bruce's eyes double taken as he then remembers the events of the night. He wraps his arms around the woman's back and upper chest, leaning his head down and kissing her on her forehead "Hey...it's morning"

"Ah...already...?" Selina sheepishly mummers as she slowly pushes her head off of the man's chest and smiles, rolling off of Bruce and onto her back, taking most of the velvet bed cover with her. Bruce quickly made a play to cover his lower half and grabs his boxer off the floor with his other hand. He jumps up onto his feet and puts on his boxers, pulling them up and giving Selina a good view of his behind, though not on purpose or even knowing that she would be looking.

Selina gave a weak laugh as she stretches out her arms upward and along with her legs down the sheets. Bruce turns away from Selina as he sees her go and get up, sheading the cover of the sheets "You really do take the whole cat thing quite literally, don't you?

"When I can, but there are certain places that I can't lick on my own, but I have you to help with that" Selina jokes running her tongue up her hand. She kneels down grabs the pile of her clothes and throws them onto the best. Bruce folds his arms, still having his back turned to the woman as he hears Selina's voice "So...um, how are you feeling?" she says a little nervous "Because I feel kinda good..."

"Y-yeah um...I'm good"

"Good?" she questions.

"Good" Bruce confirms, nervous in his own tone of voice.

"That's good" she nods now dressed back in her shirt and jeans and picking up her jacket from the bed "...eh...Bruce? You aren't having regrets about last night, are you? You seem slightly, slightly...more stoic than usual..."

"Regrets? No. No, of course, no...of course I don't, why would I...why would I have any...?"

"Hey, it's safe to look back now, not like I had an issue with you doing so anyway," she says as she zips up her jacket seeing Bruce turn around and face her, still with his arms folded "Be honest with me, Bruce. Was it...was it any good?"

"What? Excuse me...what? You mean the...the..."

"Sex, yes. Jesus, Bruce. You're an adult and you can't even bring yourself to say the word?" she bats her eyes.

"No, it's not that, honest. I just wasn't expecting for us...to...you know...feels...weird" Bruce rubs his shoulders.

"Weird? It felt weird?" Selina lifts an eyebrow.

"No. No that's not what I meant, I mean that us...you know?..."

"Go on" Selina steps closer, folding her own arms "Go on...and say it"

Bruce gulps "I mean...I just remembered just how beautiful you are...you are amazing. Makes me wonder what I did to deserve you..." he sees Selina's frown slowly curve into a smile.

"Oh, you...sly..." she wraps her arms around the man's neck "You just saved it, good for you" she hums as she leans in and kisses Bruce on the lips. Bruce holds his hands on Selina's hips. Their lips soon part and Selina smiles, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes "You are right about one thing, after what we did...we need to adjust to it, there could be some quite heavy consequences. I mean what about if Barbara finds out? This whole thing may have opened up a whole new world of probl-"

"Selina"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me" Bruce leans down and captures the woman's lips with his own. Selina slides her hands into Bruce's own, folding them over.

"Hey, Bruce. I hate to be a bother and since Harvey doesn't want to bother you - I should tell you that we are nearly out of food, just thought that we should give you a heads up" Harleen opens the door to the room and walks in on the two. The blonde's eyes widen at the near-naked sight of Bruce "Oh...hi there" she slightly blushes as she sees Bruce turn his upper torso to face her. Seeing his muscles and abs made her almost dribble.

"Ah-um, Harleen..." Bruce stammers "Uh...I'll um...I'll figure something out"

"Yeah...you-uh-you-uh...you do that" Harleen kept her eyes on Bruce's torso "What...what... were we talking about again?"

"Get out!" Selina yells.

"Yeah-uh, sure" Harleen backs out of the room and closes the door.

"That's one way to kill the mood" Selina rolls her eyes, venting in a slight state of anger "Damn" she cusses.

"Hey, it's alright. Harleen didn't mean barge in like that...even though she did just...barge in like that - yeah...I mean...she didn't even knock...huh, I guess that you do have a valid reason to be annoyed" Bruce puts on his dark jeans and zips them up after picking up his black shirt that pulling it down over his head "Yeah, Harleen can be a little annoying, but she has a good heart"

"I'll just have to take your word for it" Selina huffs before turning her head back to him "Bruce, I need to go. I just remembered that I have something to do, I'll see you later"

"Uh...do you want a ride? I can-"

Selina steps forward and pecks the man on the cheek "I'll be fine, Bruce. Go and talk to Harvey, he deserves your time too, you know that?"

"Yeah, you're right"

* * *

**7: 13 AM**

"You know, Jim. We could have handled this on our own. I would think that the commissioner would have more important things to be doing" Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon walk side-by-side as they head down a dark and stingy street that had a handful of homeless men and woman. They reach their destination as they stand in front of a shop with the glass window shattered and with three masked men pinned to the walls and floors by a number of metal knives with some kind of markings.

"This situation has peaked my interested, not every day you get someone using throwing knives to stop crime. Run me through the report" Jim asks, dressed in a white shirt, with a blue blazer and a brown overcoat. He stands with his hands in his pockets as Harvey takes the lead.

"Alright, Partner" Bullock nods "The owner just that they were just opening up for the day when he was swarmed by these three numbskulls who held him and his staff at gunpoint. Fearing for their lives as they reasonably should have been they let the masked men into the shop where they proceeded to raid it along with the till grabbing everything that they had"

"And this?" Gordon points to the three masked men who were struggling to break free from the knives that hold them, pinning them down.

"Oh that, yeah..." Bullock steps neck to Gordon "See, none of the people that we questioned saw who did this, all they said that they saw was these knife being hurled through the window which pinned the three stooges"

"Wait, you're saying that whoever did this...did it from outside?" Gordon walks into the shop and over the broken shards of glass covering the floor with Harvey following behind "But...the accuracy, whoever did this didn't hit any vital organs and knew where to hit them...this precision...it's unreal"

"Except for a bat-themed vigilante that we both know" Harvey chimed in pointing to one of the knives "Last time I checked Batman doesn't kill, right? And I don't see any of these guys dead, plus with the skill that would be needed to pull this off...you can't outright count him out as a suspect"

"It wasn't him..." the commissioner kneels down and looks closely at one of the knifes, noticing the markings of an owl on the handle "It wasn't Batman, it wasn't him" he stands back up and looks to Harvey "I want the knifes bagged and taken to evidence for lock-up"

"Will do, Partner - but-uh first we need to manage to get them out of those three and they look like they are jammed in them real tight"

Gordon pats Harvey on the shoulder from behind "Then have these kind men escorted to Gotham general"

"Good idea, but it might take a while before the doctors can see them, they are still overwhelmed from last night" Harvey explains as he takes a swing of his flask "I'll call a unit in, but this isn't the only case to involve this mysterious new vigilante, I got other reports about more botched crimes with the perpetrators being pinned down by the same knifes as these guys," Harvey reveals as he returns his flask back into the pocket of his coat "Whoever is doing this...they got skill, like a tone of skill"

"Believe me, I know what we are dealing with" Jim heads out of the store, hands in pockets and his head held low "I know who we are dealing with" he adds under his breath, stepping out into the street "I know..." he looks up to the buildings above him and to the rooftops as soft trickles of rain begin to splashdown.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

**Wayne Manner**

Bruce, dressed a black turtle neck jumper and grey jeans, walks into the living room to find it empty. He looks around while walking through the room, his eyes land on the windows at the side of the room. He heads towards them, spotting a small piece of glass on the floor next to them. He lifts an eyebrow, kneeling down to pick up the small shard in his palm "That's...strange" he gave a puzzled look, glancing up to the two large windows that lead out of the manner that seemed to perfectly intact and nothing suspicious.

"Morning, Bruce"

Bruce quickly stands up and turns to be faced with Harvey Dent, dressed in a pink shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a loose collar. The man also appeared to be holding a bottle of wine in his right hand "Harvey? It's good to see you" Bruce steps forward as both he and Harvey bring their arms down over the other's shoulder and hug "I'm sorry that I couldn't get to see you sooner. I really wanted to visit you in the G.C.P.D, but one thing led to another and well..." he says as they both part.

"Nonsense, Bruce. There is no need to explain yourself...I've heard...I've heard about Alfred..." Dent replies with an understanding tone "When I lost my old man, I was put through a whirlwind of emotions too. Trust me, I am the last person on the planet that you need to explain yourself too, just tell me how you are holding up?"

"Oh-um, good. I'm doing good" Bruce says, knowing that he couldn't tell his friend about the truth or that he should even risk involving him and putting him in unneeded danger. Bruce nods and looks to the bottle of wine in the man's hand "That wouldn't happen to be from the cellar would it?"

"Oh, this?" Harvey holds the bottle of wine to be level with his chest "Yeah, I hope that you don't mind. I needed something to take the pressure off, just the past few days have rough for me too. If you want, I can take it back - I don't mind if you-"

"No, it's not that. By all means, you can have it, it's just thought that it would have been Harleen who would have raided the cellar" Bruce gives a playful smile.

"She did" Harvey quickly replies in a serious tone.

"She what?" Bruce loses his smile and trades it for estranged looks of confusion.

"She did raid your cellar? That's what I said" Harvey repeats himself.

"Yeah, I got that - I just... - of course she did..." Bruce turns his upper torso away from Harvey "How much did she take?"

"You really don't want to know" Harvey admits.

"I got a feeling that you'd be right 'bout that" Bruce sighs.

"Just remember, if you ever find a reason to go down into the cellar - it may help to keep your cool to think of it as...a late spring cleaning..." Dent suggests, giving a loose smile. Bruce turns his upper body back to face Harvey, his eyes widened.

"Spring Cleaning?"

"Yeah, that's right"

"Harvey...we are just days from winter" Bruce addles.

"That's...that's why I said it was late...or early since we are closer to next year then the start of this one" Harvey shrugs.

"Harvey...each one of those bottles cost me hundreds apiece, thousands in a few cases too - so could you...just try to ask Harleen to ease up a bit for my wallet's sake," Bruce asks the man who wraps his arms over his shoulder.

"I can only try, that's all that I promise"

"By the way...where is Harleen? She barged into my room earlier to tell me that the pantry is nearly empty" Bruce asks as he and Harvey walk out of the room "She didn't happen to say anything to you, did she?" he adds.

"She came out blushing where you and Selena spent your night together, so I can only imagine what she saw, actually scratch that, I don't want to," Dent says to Bruce who turned his head. They both walk into the large kitchen "You need to be careful here. If Selina gets jealous of Harleen, who knows what she will do" Harvey chuckles as his hands glance over a newspaper on the desk next to him.

Bruce searches through the units to see few and far between items of food. Some cereal, some slices of bread and a few snacks "Harvey, I know that you are joking, you know that you are joking - but I honestly think that might be a potential problem for the future"

"I sure hope not, as much as I like Harleen - Selina is a street kid, and we both know that you shouldn't get in a scrap with a street kid" Harvey nonchalantly says as he pours himself a cup of coffee "So...are you two in a relationship or it sorta benefits thing? Feel free not to answer, as I just realize how rude that question was..." he takes a sip of the cup. Spitting it out after it burns his mouth. He places the cup down and holds his hand over his mouth "Ah mah thongue I think I bhurned mah thongue"

"No you didn't" Bruce replies shoving off the loose packets taking up space on the shelves.

"Okay, you're right. I didn't" Harvey takes another sip from the cup.

"And about Selina and I? Yeah, I have no clue either, no clue at all - but I think she knows what we are together" Bruce sighs "Honestly I think that we are just recovering from the last time we-uh...parted ways" he adds.

"Oh, you mean the time that you left the city without telling her and leaving her broken-hearted for ten years? Yeah, I can't imagine what could have strained your relationship with her...not a clue, no sir. Not even Sherlock Holmes could figure that one out" he takes another swig from the cup while he keeps his eyes trained on Bruce.

"Believe me when I say that I have had everyone in my life bust me up about that"

"I mean that it could be worse" Harvey places his cup down "You could have hooked up with another girl while you left Selina heartbroken here, but thankfully I know that you wouldn't do such a thing, that's what I like about you Bruce, loyal to the end" Harvey looks down and looks at the newspaper.

"Oh..." Bruce winces at Harvey's words.

"you say something, Bruce?" Dent asks.

"Uh-no, just talking to myself"

"Got it. I do that some times..." Harvey's eyes focus on the paper "Hey, check it out. Looks like you made the front page" he picks up the newspaper and shows it to Bruce. The billionaire glances back at the paper and was quick to flabbergast "Look at you, Mr Hero," Bruce grabs it from Harvey and examines it closely.

"*Bruce Wayne saves the day*? How the hell comes out with these headlines?" he scoffs "Damn, I'm guessing that the rest of Gotham also knows about this, this could be dangerous for Harleen if someone from the media finds her here and you too..."

"Damn, Bruce you must be humble to your core or somethin', I was kinda expecting you to go all showboat there for a second, also thanks for the concern" Harvey tips his cup towards the man, in mimicking a toast "Sometimes you are just too pure for this world..."

"Not as much as you'd think" a woman chirps.

Both men look as Harleen walks in the room from outside, dressed in a sleeveless red and black Dimond-pattern dress and black leggings. Her hair was down loose to her lower back with dual bangs hanging over her ears "Morning Harvey, morning Bruce. I don't know about you, but I am starving - what's for breakfast?" she sits in the empty seat next to Harvey.

"Not much it looks like. The cabinets seem to be lacking" Harvey takes another sip from his coffee "Say, Bruce. What are we going to do about-"

"We'll come back to that..." Bruce dismisses Harvey "Harleen?"

"Yeah? What's-up?"

"That dress you have on...?"

"You like? Yeah...I love it too"

"No, not what I was trying to say, Harleen" Bruce steps forward and holds his hands over on the counter "That dress...you didn't have that before, so tell me how you managed to get it?"

"Well...you...see..." she nervously trails off, scratching her neck "I kinda found a catalogue...and saw that they did custom orders...so I mighta thought that I could order somethin' for myself and voila" she points to the dress "And also, if someone calls askin' for a Mrs Wayne, just ignore it...or just hand the phone to me - either works, but on a serious note you probably should just hand it over to me" she taps her nails against the surface of the table.

"Harleen..." Bruce leans over "How much did that thing cost?"

"Don't worry about that, they charged it to the occupier of the place" she shrugs.

"Which...would be...me..." Bruce sighs, dropping his head "Just tell me how much...I don't care anymore"

"Oh, umm..."

"Harleen..."

"Well...I may have miscalculated the amount needed to pay-"

"Harleen. Just. Tell. Me."

"$7300"

"7300? How...that's impossible unless there are like diamonds on...oh no, tell me that you didn't..." Bruce slams his head down on the desk.

"Sorry...I just couldn't resist..." Harleen shrugs, slightly tilting in her seat to showcase the trail of small demands down the sides of the dress "Would now be a bad time to say that I am still hungry..."

Bruce slams his head back onto the desk "We're ordering out today, happy?"

"Yes!" Harleen applauds.

"I think that was a rhetorical question, Harleen" Harvey glances away, sipping his coffee.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**8: 18 AM**

Selina stood with her arms folded standing in front of the room-sized windows that face outward into the city of Gotham. She sees her own reflection in the glass which mimicked and mirrored every movement that she made, no matter how small or insignificant "I hate to admit like it hurts my soul that I have to give you any credit, but you were right. You knew that Bruce wouldn't go through will killing Jerome, you knew that he would somehow hold himself back, restrain himself from finishing the job..."

"So is the part why I say that I told you so or have I already missed the timing? You must forgive me, I am not too familiar with you Americans and your culture" Talia sits in the seat behind her desk as she looks over to Selina "So, did you just come here to tell me something that I already knew? Or do you somehow know something that I don't by some odd chance?" she crosses her legs "Or are you just here to ruin my day because at the moment I can see how it can go any of those ways...or all three somehow"

"I'm here to ask a favour from you," Selina says, gritting her teeth.

"Oh? Favour, I see..." Talia rolls her eyes "This could be entertaining at least, please go on. Just what is this favour that you want to ask?"

"I want the truth, Talia. The truth because I know that I will never get it from Bruce, no matter how much he trusts me" Selina narrows her eyes "He didn't even trust Alfred enough to tell him and plus, you owe me"

"I'm in debt to you, kitty? Please explain how I, the leader of the world's deadliest group is in debt to one, lonely, sad and worthless woman in the most crime-ridden city in the world? Because I can't figure that one out for the life of me?" Talia challenges Selina in an amused smile.

"Because I didn't tell Bruce about how you knew about Alfred the whole time" Selina turns her head "You know that if Bruce ever found that out...he would never forgive you, no matter how many times you've slept with him..."

"Which would be a lot if I must say" Talia leans back "So...you withheld that information from Bruce to hold as leverage over me? Gotta say, I'm impressed by you...even though it's only a little" she holds her hand up, parting both her thumb and index finger in a small gap to emphasize her words "All those years on the streets did you well, I mean not family-wise of course, but it sharpened your cutthroat approach, and if there's one thing that I can respect, it's cutthroats"

"Says the woman whose father was a crazy bastard who wanted to destroy the city and whose sister came back to kill my friends and Bruce - twice, you are not someone to be talking about broken families" Selina bites back.

"Hey...I disregard many of my father's practices and my sister can just to hell for all I'm concerned, but I still care for them for what they are worth. So I just love my dad, Nyssa once again can just go to hell- always acting like she was father's favourite, please..." she blows a strand of hair from her eyes "Always acting like a spoiled brat, even though she was the older sister - she is an embarrassment to my father's legacy"

"Did...did you just...? Did you just have an emotional break?" Selina asks, puzzled.

"Forgive me, miss Kyle. The thought of Nyssa always gets my blood boiling" Talia sits up straight and regains her composure "Anyway, you said that you wanted the truth? What truth are you refereeing to? I hope it's not the meaning of life because not even the League has found that out quite yet..."

"About Bruce, you said that was different from before he left, right?"

"Yes, I do recall myself saying that it was only last night after all" Talia holds her hands out and checks her nails.

"I want to know about what happened after he left...I want to know who he has become, because I'm not too sure anymore" Selina turns her head back to face the window "One moment...he's dark and mysterious, angry even - but suddenly he becomes calm and collected, even caring and kind - and sometimes there's just...nothing, like he's just a vessel for something much more...darker"

"And you want to know why I Presume?" Talia inquires.

"Yeah, I do" Selina replies.

"Let's say this..." Talia stands up to her feet "Let me ask you this. When do you think Bruce began his journey to become Gotham's dark knight?"

"What? When he decided to leave Gotham when he came to you as I led to believe"

"Nope" Talia sits down on her desk and crosses her legs "That was just his training, the dark knight was already formed, already...already grown inside of Bruce"

"The night...that night in the alley with his parents...that was...that was..." Selina glances down.

"That was when the dark knight was born, the darkness of anger flooded Bruce's heart and soul that laid dormant for when Bruce would need it, when little Bruce would accept it and help it flourish into what it is today, what we know as Batman" Talia waves her finger with each word that she spoke "Sure it didn't have a name or a symbol to it, but the darkness resonated within Bruce's very soul waiting for its moment, it's time for when Gotham would need it the most"

"Bruce was always meant to become him...no matter what I did..." Selina whispers.

"Exactly, so there's no use trying to feel bad about it. Because sooner or later...Bruce would have unleashed the dark force within him and lucky for you lot...it was a force for justice and order - in most case, childhood trauma can cause people to go crazy and become criminals..." Talia comments "That night...Jim Gordon came to the rescue, the shining white knight who promises to find the guy who killed his parents, Bruce sees this and becomes amazed, no... infatuated with him..."

"Gordon?"

"Yes, Gordon. Think about it, the shining beacon of hope that comes into Bruce's now dark and cold world, it shows him that the city has people who fight for justice, for the people. It convinces him to one day become a symbol of order and justice, a knight for this dark city - someone that can make it that no other child would have to suffer the same tragedy that he did..." Talia tilts her head "He wanted to become strong enough to protect the people closest to him, to protect the ones that he loves..."

"I knew that much, or at least I thought that I did...this makes no sense, why wouldn't Bruce tell me that?"

"Because there is no Bruce anymore, hasn't been for ages, not since he let the darkness out" Talia jumps onto her feet and holds her right hand onto her hip "Bruce Wayne is long dead, there is only the dark knight who is trying to live the life of someone who hasn't existed for a long, long time. He may fool himself and the others around you, but I think that you and I aren't so easily fooled, considering how close you were to Bruce once" she reveals.

"I...I don't know...who or what he is, I just know that I care for him, and I want answers"

"Did you ever care for Bruce or were you lured by the darkness inside him, the deepest parts of him, the parts of him he didn't even know that he had at the time. You saw it in him, just like I did when I first met him..."

"Enough with that, I care for him, for Bruce...for the boy who I saw lose his parents, the boy has been with me through most of my life, now the man that is out there saving lives while you just sit back and would happily let the city burn if you could, so you better stop playing mind games with me, got that? Unlike you, I actually care for Bruce and don't want to see him get hurt" Selena turns around to confront the other dark-haired woman.

"Oh, dear..." Talia's amour propre was shown on full display as her lips form into a grin "I don't care about Bruce? If you want to me to tell you what you want to know then I suggest that you stop trying to piss me off, okay?" she warns "I am trying to be civil here, think of it as a courtesy to you - I hope that endeavour would have been mutual"

"Sorry, I just got carried away - I didn't mean to...".

"I think that you did" Talia keeps her small smirk "But nevertheless, you already know all about Bruce's ventures here in Gotham - you came to me to learn about what happened after he left, do I presume correct?"

"You aren't goin' to make me asks nicely, are you?"

"I was thinking about it, but I wouldn't make one do that which I wouldn't do myself - Very well...I shall tell you, but I shall warn you...it's not exactly a happy story" Talia rests her chin on her left knuckle "Are you sure that you want to know it?"

"Tell me" Selina firmly replies.

* * *

**Gotham General**

**8: 35 AM **

"Doctor? Doctor? Doctor Langstrum!" Gordon shouts as he sprints through the ward as he catches up to the frail-looking man who looks back to him "Dr Langstrum, we need to talk, I tried leaving messages at your home, but there was no reply - it's about the important thing that we discussed, I need your help with something that could possibly be related to it" Gordon says, slightly out of breath.

"Ah-uh, Commissioner? I didn't expect to see you...ah yes...about that...please" he holds out his arm towards one of the rooms "Please come, we need privacy to discuss such a delicate matter" Jim follows Kirk into the room "You must understand that when I came to you with such a matter, I was expecting you and your team to take it from there" he closes the door to the room and turns down the blinds to the room "Discussing this in such a public place like this...well it could put both of us a great deal of danger..."

"Apologies, Doctor. If you are worried about your safety here...then we can discuss this further as your house later tonight"

Kirk's eyes widen "Ah, no...that won't be necessary, Commissioner" he turns to look at Gordon "Night is the only time my wife and I can both be at home together, our work lives have often interfered with our personal ones. I would hate to give up what little time that I and my wife have together as it is, I hope that you will understand"

"Don't worry, I do. With my line of work, I make the most out of every moment I can get with my wife"

"If I'm not mistaken, isn't your wife also a doctor?" Kirk puts on a pair of glasses.

"Yes, Lee Thompkins, she works in this place"

"Ah yes, now I remember, Doctor Tompkins was one of our brightest newcomers when she first came to us, unfortunately at my age, I am not longer given the role of surgeon, rather I am simply the head of the floor that oversees everyone else, and I could not be happier with her work, absolutely splendid" Langstrum praises.

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from someone like you who has had several decades on the job" he rests his hands in the pockets of his overcoat "That would mean the world to her if you can say that to her yourself"

"I would love to, but she is kept quite busy in here most days with her work, she is not someone to slouch around and always keeps herself busy as she goes from saving one life to the next" the older man comments "She is a marvellous study and I feel that she is perfect to look into what you might ask of me, you and her live together thus there is no need for long-distance communication that could compromise both of you which is the case with us..."

"Are you sure, I would have thought that you have liked to bring this whole thing to light" Jim asks.

"Unfortunately, Commissioner. I can't withstand the light as much as I use to, please forgive my seemingly act of cowardice - I just rather keep myself out of the light where I can lay low and make a difference from the shadows..." Kirk says apologetically.

"Trust me, you aren't the first friend of mine to work like that. Let me know if you find anything else" Gordon smiles as he walks out of the room.

"Good luck, Commissioner" Langstrum wishes.

* * *

**9: 11 AM**

"Damn it!" a man cries as a knife was thrown into his hand; splatting blood outward and making him drop the gun that he held "Just who the hell is the fre-" he was cut off as the Talon uppercuts him with a left hook. Talon backflips and perches on the ground as he pulls out a new pair of knives from his harness. His glowing white eyes light up the path ahead of him in the dimly lit room, the only light up high was constantly flashing, leaving the room often in pitch-black darkness with his own eyes giving off the only source of light for a split second.

He sees two more men run into the room, wielding their own handguns "You think that you can just come on our turf and just raising hell? You're gonna die freak!" one of the men yell as he fires away. Talon's eyes narrow as he rolls across the ground which allowed him to move out of the way of the incoming bullets. He backflips back up onto his feet and hurls one of his knives into the shooter's kneecap; causing the man to wince in pain and fell to his knee, grabbing at the knife that was jammed in it.

"Don't bother" Talon advises as he hurls the second knife in the other man's shoulder which pinned him to the wall behind him "I angled the knife. Ripping it out is not a possibility, the only way to get out is to lose your whole leg" he walks over to the man who was pinned against the wall. He brings his armoured hand up and wraps it around his throat "You work for Black Mask, is that right?" Talon asks in a cold and unnerving manner that was made even more nerve-racking by the small echo given to it by his helmet.

"Yeah-uh...I do-uh few jobs for- for h-him, yeah" the man nervously replies as he stares into the cold, motionless white orbs that are the eyes on the Talon's helmet "L-ike deliveries and uh-stuff"

"Do you happen to know where he is?" Talon asks, cold as ever.

"Uh, no - it's a secretive thing! Honest! He calls us, we aren't allowed to talk to him directly - we do business through one of his own men!"

"Don't care, I'm not here for him..." Talon holds his hand on the handle of the knife that was stuck in the man's shoulder and begins to twists it, making the man wince in more pain "There's someone working with Black Mask, someone you and your men should know about. A woman who goes by *The Demons Head*" Talon slowly pushes the knife down, deeper through the man's shoulder until the handle itself had been slightly pushed through "...You should really start talking"

"I will be more than happy to discuss this with you," a voice says from behind.

Talon snaps his head around, almost like an owl. He sees a man dressed in a black in black muscle shirt tucked down under a pair of green cargo pants and heavy black boots. Bane stood, with black fingerless strapped gloves on his hands, and a mask that covered his mouth. His hair was gelled to the side, with some stray strands sticking out upward and to the side. Bane stood high, easily over six food and much taller than the Talon. Bane lifts his hands and cracks both of his fists "Your prescience in this city is not ideal for our plan, I was sent here to take care of you" Bane's muffled voice informs Talon.

"You? Deal with me?" Talon's body followed after his head to fully face the man "I should have known that she would send you, instead of facing me herself" he takes a couple of steps towards the much more taller man who cracks his neck.

"Yes. Yes, you should have" Bane nods.

Talon slowly reaches behind his back and grabs a new pair of knives out "She's using you, she's making you a weapon"

"Foolishness my friend, unlike you, I was already a weapon beforehand - she just gave me a new war to fight" Bane stoically replies.

"And one more battle that you shall lose"

"Ah, your spirit is strong - I like that, that will make this far more intriguing" the brute praises as he throws fist towards Talon, which he ducked under. Standing back up and hitting Bane in the stomach but to no effect or any noticeable difference "I hope that is not all that you can do, otherwise..." he rams his head down and slams it into Talon's helmet, breaking the left eye "This will be..." he then grabs the other man's shoulders and rams his knee up into the man's stomach "...Disappointing" he throws Talon onto the floor.

"Wh-what...wh-what...are you.." Talon gasps as he stands back up onto his feet "I feel like...like I was just hit by a truck"

"No, you were just hit by Bane" Bane steps forward with his arms by his sides.

"Noted" Talon backflips away and hurls both of the knives towards Bane, who caught both of them with each of his hands. Bane lowers his head to look at the two daggers and crushes the handles, throwing them to the ground.

"I was promised a great challenge with you, yet you are far inferior to both me and my master, and even the Batman" Bane's eyes narrow "If this is not worth my time, then your life has no meaning to me. You are slow, weak - a disappointment" he begins to stomp towards Talon who reaches behind his back, only to find that he had no more spare knives left to use. Bane rams his fist across Talon's face, then repeats the action with his left, lifting both of his arms up, he slams his elbows down on Talon's upper back.

Talon was left kneeling down as he held his sides, Bane looks down to him "You are pathetic, an empty void of the force that you once were" he lifts his foot up above the man's head "She made you into a new warrior, a true soldier - yet you choose to return to who you were before - You disappointed her" Bane sighs.

"Considering what kind of person she is, I'll take that as a compliment..."

"You do that" Bane stomps his foot down, Talon quickly falls to the ground and rolls out of the way as Bane's foot lands; denting the ground which it falls on. Talon jumps back on to his feet as a blade ejects out of his boot. He kicks up towards Bane's stomach, which the tall man sees coming. He uses both of his hands to catch the boot with the blade mere centimetres away from cutting into him.

"And I'll do this..." Bane says as tightens his grip around Talon's boot and slams him over his head onto the ground; denting both it and the man's helmet "And this..." Bane kneels down to grab Talon and lift him above his head. He throws him upward, hitting him into the ceiling at the one light to the room; shattering it and leaving the room in complete darkness. Bane cracks his knuckles as he turns his head to look all around the room "I know that wasn't enough to keep you down, come out and strike me! Don't let being a coward fuel your final moments!"

Bane sides-steps as Talon throws a punch from behind. Eduardo grabs Talon by the shoulder and bends his arm behind his back "I am thankful for this opportunity, as you see, knowing how well I do against you will give me a rough estimate of what I can do against the Batman, after all, I am perfectly aware of your origin" he says, in a surprisingly respectful manner with no ill intent or dishonesty "I am indebted to you, my friend " Bane was true to his words.

"I'm...I'm not finished yet..." Talon groans.

"Of course not, you still have your part to play - this was only a bit of fun for me" Bane turns his head while he grabs Talon and lifts him above his head once again "This is farewell for now..." he throws Talon across the room and through one of the rusted windows, out into the outside world of Gotham. Talon was thrown out of the three-story building and into the back alley. Bane steps towards the broken window, looking down to Talon who was lying deep below on the cold pavement.

* * *

**Wayne Manner**

**10: 24 AM**

"Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable..." Bruce drops his phone on the table "...unbelievable..."

"That bad...?" Harvey asks.

"I just checked my account and found out that...someone has been making purchases for the last week, and they all have to with...clothes and for some reason...a stuffed animal" Bruce vents "I don't know she did it, but Harleen has spent literal millions on clothes ever since she got here - and that's in less than a week" he adds, dazed with confusion.

"Millions? Wow, usually girls pretend to like you before wasting all your money, but I don't think she did it with malicious intent. Maybe she just lost track...like she said" Harvey shrugs, seeing the clear frustration on the other man's face "You think that you can coax Harley into returning them and get your money back? Because I can't see Harleen feasibly paying you back all that money"

"First thing that I thought of, but they told me that since she was already wearing them - I couldn't return them" Bruce exhales.

"Yikes, Bruce. So your just down a few millions just like that? I'm sure she must feel really bad about it, maybe try talking to her or something. She owes you an apology at least"

"A simple *I'm sorry* won't cut it, Harv" Bruce turns to him.

"Yeah, that makes sense - just - just...try to take it easy on her, Bruce. She's a good person, sure she can get easily side-tracked, but deep down I'm sure that she doesn't mean you any harm" Dent reassures the other man "Remember she has the constant fear of being killed by those masked men. I can't blame her if she wanted to live-it-up a little" Dent sees Bruce open up the fridge and take out a glass container of milk, swigging at it "Is the milk even okay? It looks it a bit...solid from here"

Bruce spits into the sink and drops the carton "Yep. Definitely gone off..." he spits again into the sink "I'll call in for delivery later..." he spits again. wiping his lips with his hand "Where's Harleen now?"

"Out" Harvey casually replies, deep in concentration with the newspaper.

"Out?" Bruce snaps back.

"Out" Harvey confirms.

"No, Harvey, out?" Bruce asks annoyed "Gordon was clear when he said that she wasn't to leave the house"

"Nope, he said that she wasn't permitted to leave the premises and Wayne Manner has a tone of outdoor space in its premises" Harvey flips the page over "She's outback by the pond"

"Pond?" Bruce's eyes widen "Crap, I forgot to feed the fishes, damn it"

"Harleen's been taking care of it, has been since she got here"

"Oh..." Bruce blinks "I see..." he turns to the sink and spits once more "I'm going to check up on her"

"Good" Harvey looks up from the newspaper to see that Bruce had vanished "Bruce?" he looks around "Heh, he must have been in a hurry..." his eyes look back down to the paper as he turns the page. His eyes widen in shock "...Damn...that's saddening...poor family"

* * *

"Harleen?" Bruce calls out, walking across the field of grass of the garden, eventually his eyes locate the blonde. Harleen was kneeling in front of the large pond that took up quite a chunk of the ground. Bruce's feet then begin to walk on the stone slabs that lead towards the woman and the pond. His eyes maneuverer towards the group of small fish that swim around in the well-kept and fancy pond "Harleen, Harvey told me that you were the one looking after the little guys"

"Ya heard right, I didn't figure you one to worry about your garden" Harleen replies as, looking down at the fish "It's kinda charmin' if I do say so"

"It was all Alfred's idea, I don't know anything about...well...this...?" he glances around the garden "The last days have been hectic for me, so I apricated you for keeping an eye on things, it does mean a lot"

Harleen holds out a hand to Bruce which he takes. He pulls her up onto her feet "Don't mention it, B. I'm just glad that I could be a help around here for a change, plus...I can tell that I was becomin' a nuisance to you, an' that's the last thing that I would want"

"I'll take your word for it" Bruce smiles playfully "Harleen, just please...stop buying things for now. You have everything you need here, plus you made sure that...you will never run out of clothes. So could just possibly...dial it back a little"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I just lost track, you know? I was going to ask you, but you are never home, like really...never"

"Yeah, that's the price I must pay for being the CEO of one of most powerful enterprises in the world, the work is tiring. I hardly get a moment to myself" Bruce stands with his left hand in his pocket "I try to make the most of every free moment that I can get"

"Goin' from what I walked in on this morning...I find that too easy to believe" Harleen gives a quick smile.

"Ah...I..." Bruce glances away from Harleen "You-you-uh...you weren't supposed to see that. I'm sorry that you had to walk in on that, I know that it must have been very...strange..."

"I'm not sorry that I did" Harleen rolls her eyes in a playful manner "Gotta say...for a simple CEO...you-uh...you are quite well built - from...from..." the blonde stumbles over her words "I mean that...you are lookin' good, B." Harleen playfully jabs the man in the shoulder "...You...uh...good on you"

"...Okay, thank you...?" Bruce looks down to his shoulder where Harleen's hand still was "...Harleen?"

Harleen quickly pulls her hand away and laughs nervously "I just made it awkward, didn't I?"

"Uh...yeah...I think that you did, I think that you did"

"I should probably go...I should go back inside, maybe see how Harvey's doing" she points back to the house, walking off from Bruce and back towards the manner. Bruce puts his hands on his hips, turning his head to see Harleen heading back.

"I coulda handled that one better" Bruce turns his head back "Coulda handled that one much, much better, and probably way less awkward," Bruce said under his breath. His eyes tense up, sharply turning around, Bruce catches a silver knife that was thrown at him. Grabbing the handle, and stopping its momentum. He opens his palm and looks at the handle, seeing the carvings of an owl "What?" he slowly looks up to see a figure standing a metre in front of him.

A boy with long brown hair, dressed in a long-sleeve grey shirt and black jeans. Bust most importantly of all, the boy's face mirrored that of Bruce's from many years ago. The doppelganger looks at Bruce's hand and sees that he had caught the knife "Good to know that you still got it, though...your reaction time was sloppy. You should have moved out of the way, but by the time you noticed it - it was already too late to do so, you got lucky" he says between breaths.

"Thomas?" Bruce looks back to the boy "What are you doing here? I thought that you were in Bludhaven"

"We don't have a lot of time, Bruce. It's happening tonight - Knightfall, it's going down at midnight, as if we don't somehow pull off a miracle...we are all dead" Thomas says, breathing heavily as he holds his sides. Bruce's eyes widen seeing the red stain underneath the other man's shirt, the blood-soaked hand that covered it.

"My god, Thomas - who did that to you?" Bruce asks worriedly.

"Bane. He's...in Gotham...and is ready to kill you...I tried looking for him and his leader...and well...this..." Thomas' eyes glance down to his blood-covered hand "I...I only got away because...he wanted me too..., he has it out for you, Bruce... - both him and his master"

"Master? No..." Bruce's eyes tremble "...Please don't say what I think that you are going to say..."

"Yeah.." Thomas gags "Nyssa - she's been in Gotham this whole time..."

"No, no..." Bruce steps back "Talia made sure that the League of Shadows dealt with her"

"You...mean...the League of Shadows that want to destroy Gotham...? Why...why...would they follow the leadership of someone who allies herself with you - Talia al Ghul never controlled the Shadows, Nyssa has"


	22. Knightfall

**Knightfall **

* * *

**12: 07 PM**

**Underneath Wayne Manner**

**\- Batcave -**

**[13 Hours, 53 Minutes Until Operation: Knightfall]**

"That was a stupid thing to do, Thomas - going after Bane on your own like that, you should've come to me first" Bruce hands over an icepack to Thomas, the younger man slowly takes it and holds it to his sides. Bruce's eyes track over to the man's sides, the blood-stained patch of his shirt, the now dark and dry layer of blood that had soaked into the material "You could have gotten yourself killed, why didn't you tell me that you were back in Gotham?"

Thomas slowly turns his head, his shoulder-length hair followers after, swaying due to the movement "I wasn't going after Bane, my target was Nyssa al Ghul. I was interrogating some of Black Mask's men, trying to get them to give me her location and then Bane showed up - bloody did a number on me, I am so grateful that I can't feel pain"

"Still...you should have come to me first, we could have taken Bane on together - coming to Gotham just like that? That is bound to draw some unwanted attention"

"You referring to that girlfriend of yours?"

"Talia? Yeah, she was dead set on finding you. She wasn't too happy with me when I told her that you were under my protection" Bruce walks over to the Batcomputer, folding his arms and looking to the large screen "Talia has the League of Shadows all through this city, she seems to know everything that goes on, everything that I do - there's no doubt that she knows that you are back here"

"You worried that she might try to kill me, I wouldn't worry about. Nyssa taught me everything she knew, and from the looks of her last fight with her baby sister; they seem to be somewhat equal - trust me, I can hold my own if it comes to it"

"She taught you everything that I know" Bruce counters, turning his head slightly "Talia and I got into a fight a while back, well...she attacked me first, but...I sure as hell couldn't keep her down, I doubt that you will have any better luck - especially with the new wound of yours..."

"You talking about the fight between you and her at Wayne Tower? You too had a wound, yet you are still standing here to this day, once I used the Lazarus; my body shall be returned to peek condition" Thomas looks to Bruce's lower back "You too would be wise to use the Lazarus to heal your wounds from last night, those will only result in slowing you down" he advises, tightening his grip over his wound "I'll take it that you are already aware that Jerome Valeska was only meant as a decoy to distract you from the true terror yet to sweep this city?"

"Yeah. It was obvious that it was a ploy to get me off of their backs, but I still had to stop Jerome before he could cause any more mayhem here, I still have the rest of today to stop Knightfall from happening, I need to make the most out of what time that I have," Bruce turns around "Do you have any leads?"

"A few, yes" Thomas nods "You may have found that trying to find the escapees have been impossible, there's not even a trace of them"

"It seems like it" Bruce leans against the console of the Batcomputer "There has been not a single reported sighting of them, which does not go with some of their . Cobblepot and Edward Nygma live for attention, plus then there's...Jeremiah Valeska. He couldn't have gone this long without making a move, it's not like him, and if Bane was in Gotham - that fails my theory of them not being in Gotham"

"Maybe Bane wants to be first in the line of trying to kill you, that or he's holding it for Nyssa"

"I can't believe that she's back, I thought that Talia would have killed her when my back was turned, honestly...I'm starting to think that I should have let her finish the job"

"You really should have - you know how bad she can hold grudges, and with the majority of the League of Shadows behind her... I fear that you may have missed your only opportunity to stop her" Thomas' eyes tense "People are going to die because of your inability to see the bigger picture, I sure hope that you can live with that blood on your hands" he inches closer and glares up to Bruce "Because... it is due to her that I have to live with the blood on mine... "

Taken back by the man's comments, Bruce was left in a daze of thoughts "Thomas, I... I..., listen...killing Nyssa won't wash your hands clean or redeem you - that's not how the world works... trust me..., murder is murder no matter how justified that you think that it is... it can change you, just like everyone else - no one is infallible, not even us"

"Like hell, Bruce" Thomas grits his teeth "You don't get it do you? She brainwashed me! Manipulated me! She found me when I was near death, a weak rotting corpse - she said she could give me a purpose, a reason to live! She used me, made me...do... all of those horrible things - made into a weapon, a murderer!" he fumes "And... I... I just went along with it, lying to myself that I was doing the right thing... I only started seeing the truth when she wanted me to hurt the girl... that was when... when... I just couldn't continue, when I finally saw her for what she was..."

"I understand how you are feeli-"

"No! You do not get to say that to me!" Thomas yells "Everything that has gone wrong in my life is your fault, Nyssa only made me into a monster because she wanted me to become you, to take over your destiny! And I was only...born because of you, to replace you...well screw you, Bruce! I'm not you, and I never want to be!" his eyes begin to water "It's because of you...that I spend every day slowly dying, suffering, knowing that my body is failing me..., that I can't even have a life of my own!"

Bruce wraps his arms around the much younger man, holding him close "I know...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for all of this..."

"...I never wanted this...I didn't even want to be born..." Thomas cries.

"...I know..."

* * *

**Meanwhile**

**\- Wayne Enterprise Tower - **

**\- Ground Floor -**

Selina Kyle and Talia Al Ghul sit around a wooden table, sitting opposite of each other. Selina held a cup of coffee in hand which she sips, not taking her eyes off of the other woman. Talia too held her gaze at the other woman, whilst picking out a cheery from her dessert "Is this your idea of some kind of joke?" Selina rolls her eyes, seeing Talia gently push the cheery into her mouth "I ask you to tell me about Bruce and you decide to take a lunch break? Glad that you are taking this seriously" she plants the coffee back on the table.

"Oh, believe me, miss Kyle. I'm taking you as seriously I feel appropriate" Talia's eyes flutter "You requested me to tell you about Bruce's journey and I will, I was just really dying for a lunch break" she uses her spoon to gather up a spoonful of the dessert and moves it into her mouth.

"You're messing with me, aren't you?" Selina says unamused and with a lack of patience flooding her voice "Are we doing this? I thought that we could both be more mature than being hostile towards each other, I know that we have a *thing* for the same guy, but c' mon. We are better than this"

"You believe my actions to be a result of jealousy?" Talia could barely hold back a smirk "No, think of me as more... intrigued. I know of you Americans and your clichés such as *the jealous ex*, thus I am not here to be hostile towards you - or even unwelcoming"

"I'll believe that when I see it"

"Miss Kyle, I am not a villain, but I sure as hell have no plans on being a hero - I just do what I must as I watch over Bruce, to see if he has become the man that my father had envisioned, I am not plotting against him - I want the best for him, I truly do"

"*Watch over Bruce*? Is that how you knew about Alfred? You're also keeping an eye on the people close to him, what's bothering me is that even though you claim to have Bruce's back, yet you don't bother to tell him about something as important as that?" Selina scoffs.

"You think that I had no desire to? I was going to originally, but then... then I thought of something, a little experiment. Bruce thought that he lost the closest thing that he had to a father, the anger that he must have felt, the pure rage...it was...quite something"

"You were going to see if he was going to kill Jerome, weren't you? How...cold can you be..."

"No, I wanted to see if he wouldn't. His self-control has vastly increased, though anger did indeed take hold of him, he was strong enough to fight it, to choose to spare the life of such a diseased madman, seeing how far he has come... how much he has changed..." Talia's eyes look down to her dessert, taking another spoonful "I finally realized that I failed my father, Bruce is just too... stubborn to see the bigger picture, too soft to make such important decisions - too naïve to see the flaws in his own logic, to arrogant to ignore his blatant hypocrisy"

"Just figure that one out? Bruce has been like that for years, even before he left"

"I guess that I did" Talia comments, taking another spoonful into her mouth.

"You know..." Selina nervously speaks "Bruce can be an ass sometimes, but even I can't lie, Bruce has a good heart too. He can be hard as hell to work with, but he's only doing what he thinks is best"

"Spare me the pleasantries, you and I both know that the very nature of his quest is that what dooms it, Gotham can't be saved, and its destruction cannot be delayed any further" Talia drops her spoon down. Picking up a napkin and wiping her lips clean, with her eyes closed "You do not know what is to befall this city, I was hoping to finally show Bruce that of which is needed to save Gotham from the incoming storm, but once again, he refuses to heed my words and chosen to stay true to himself even with the knowledge of Gotham's looming destruction"

"Bruce can handle the escapees in his way, no blood needs to be shed to save the city"

"That's cute..." Talia observes in a patronising tone "But the breakout and the escapees are only the beginning of the end for this city, in due time, they will seem like nothing in the grand scheme of things"

"You need to have more faith in him, I know that he can pull through and save the city, that's what he does"

"On the contrary, I believe that things have only gone as far as they have because of my faith in Bruce. I chose to stay out of it and allow for him to claim his destiny as Gotham's dark knight, however, I now see that my faith in him has been misguided and made bias by my feelings for him - I should have seen his refusal to do what is needed far sooner, but I went against my common sense and gave him way too much leniency" Talia slowly opens her eyes, wielding a glare of annoyance towards Selina.

"...eh? What are... you planning on doing now?"

"My father once told me of a legendary dark knight who shall one day take his place as the saviour of Gotham, a true force for order who shall bring about a new are for this city - yet I have to see such a tale come to fruition - I have yet to see Bruce accept his true destiny, my whole life I have been trying to honour my father's last wish to bring to life the vision he saw - the prophecy of the dark saviour, it makes me wonder if he even understood it himself"

"I don't understand...you think your father was wrong?" Selina asks.

"Before The Dark Knight can rise, he must first fall - Maybe... Bruce is meant to fail so that can rise to become even greater"

* * *

**1:04 PM - **

**\- Gotham Docks - ****Shipping yard -**

Batman and the Talon jump down from the cargo containers on to the platforms of a large boat. The Dark Knight looks around, seeing that the deck was completely clear of people, and appeared to host only both him and the Talon on its wooden surface. The sky was grey, dull as usual for the city, multiple layers of clouds block most of the sun's light, leaving the area in a dull unsaturated sickly hue. Small drops of rain fall from the sky that were few and far between each other.

The Talon lands on his knees, planting his fist into the flooring. His white orbed eyes looks around as he too sees the ship was essentially a ghost-town with not even a sign of the captain, yet alone any members of the crew "It's quiet... too quiet" he observes as he slowly stands up straight, just about reaching to Batman's shoulder "When I got one of Black Mask's men to sing about this place, I expected a lacklustre welcoming party, but...nothing..."

"**He probably didn't see the need to, you were clear in your mission of going after Nyssa, he might have just thought that you would just go after her and leave his own dealings alone**" Batman suggests as he steadily walks forward, his cape swerving against the wooden flooring and draping around his shoulders "**This ship belongs to the Falcones, Gordon rightfully thought that this was Sophia's main way of bringing the illegal goods into Gotham, but could never get a search permit from Mayor James - it frustrated Jim for years**"

"The commissioner doesn't need to worry about that anymore since the good ol' mayor got a bullet between his eyes" Talon blinks as he sees Batman turn his head towards him. Talon throws his arms up and rolls his shoulders "What? I read the newspapers. The mayor getting 86ed it kind of big news, though I'm glad that the scumbag finally got his comeuppance - He was actually next on my list back then" he follows after Batman as they both explore the abandoned ship.

"**Harvey didn't kill James**" Batman coldly replies.

"Eh? Yeah, I know - Aubrey probably had more enemies than you do, the whole thing reeks of a frame job, not even a good one at that - framing his most well known political rival? The press will eat up anything that can keep them in the spotlight" Talon emotionlessly says as white orbed eyes narrow, looking all around him "Usually if it's a trap, the ambush usually comes out by now - yet again... Nyssa knows us both far better than we would like, she can probably guess our next moves..." he looks down to his armoured hand and forces it into a fist.

"**If what you said is true, then we may have to deal with members of the League of Shadows - so stay focused**" Batman orders in a calm tone, stopping his movement and stands still "**The deck is clear, I say we use this time to check some of the cargo containers**" the dark knight turns his head and walks towards a large green container "**This ship arrived here last night, I doubt that it's much of a coincidence that it belongs to Sophia Falcone and that it arrived just in time for Knightfall to begin**"

"I was thinking the same thing" Talon walks over to face a large yellow container "Let's see what goodies are inside" his armoured hands unlock the bolt and pulls open the container to be greeted with a pitch-black path. His white orbed eyes look ahead, lighting up the path ahead "Nothing" he calls out to Batman.

The Dark Knight glances inward at the opened green Cargo Container "**Clear**"

Batman turns his head with his body following shortly after as he walks to a red container and opens it, once again seeing nothing inside "**Empty again**"

"Mine too" Talon folds his arms, looking inside a new emptied container "Would it be pointing out the obvious to say that all four being empty is a cause for suspicion?"

"**We are on a ghost-ship with no sign of any crew in the middle of the day and it's the containers being empty that makes you suspicious?**" Batman questions, seemingly unclear in his tone of voice. He reaches behind his back under his cape "**We need to do this faster, every second we waste is another second Knightfall draws closer**" he pulls out a small screen from his utility belt and holds up to meet with his eyesight. Talon walks next to him.

"What's that gizmo of yours?"

"**A portable X-Ray scanner, this should hurry things along. I thought of the idea after I encountered someone in Metropolis**" Batman looks through the lens towards a blue cargo container "**Empty**" he turns his head towards another one "**Empty**" he turns to another once more "**Empty**" Talon walks off towards a yellow container and begins to unbolt it. Batman's eyes narrow as his eyes land on a container in the distance, inside seemed to be a person who was holding a long sword by the entrance "...**Some are trapped, Talon - don't open any more-**" he turns his head towards Talon.

Once he opened the container, Talon was kicked onto the floor being caught off guard. A woman leaps out who was holding a katana with the bottom of her face covered by a scarf. Talon's eyes narrow as he kicks upward into the woman's stomach, ejecting the knife from his boot. He rolls over and kneels up as he sees the woman fall to the ground, holding her stomach in pain as a pool of blood oozes out of her "League of Shadow members? I told you"

"**Less talking, more...fighting for your life-**" Batman looks up at the top container on the pile as another woman leaps out and slashes her sword downward along the way. Batman lifts up his hand and stops the sword mere centimetres from his head. He rams his head forward to headbutt the League of Shadows member. She too was dressed in the same attire as the previous woman. She takes a swing with her sword, Batman steps back and ducks under the blade, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. He rams his elbow down and breaks the sword.

"Incoming! Six o'clock!" Talon warns Batman before he sides-steps out of the way of sword swung at him by another League of Shadows member. He grabs a dagger from his back and rams into the woman's shoulder, making her drop her blade. He then grabs the woman's arms and throws her behind his back and right into one of the cargo containers.

Batman turns his head left to see another woman running towards him with her blade, ducking once she begins to swing her blade "**How many are there?**" he calls out, jumping back up and spinning on his heels. Grabbing the league of shadow's member and throwing her into the other one next to him, knocking them both to the ground. His cape swaying with every single movement that he made.

"More than I would like!" Talon rolls under another sword of the league of shadows members, now surrounded by three of them "Eh? What do you know? Looks like I also got your luck with women!" he rolls forward and uses the dagger in hand to deflect another swing of a blade, kicking the woman into the door of the container and quickly moving out of the way as the woman behind him charges. Talon kicks behind him, hitting the woman's shin, then ramming his elbow back into her face.

"**What's that supposed to mean?**" Batman growls, yanking the assassins blade from her, ramming it down on his knees and snapping it in two. He then uses both of the parts to trip up the woman and make her fall to the ground. He spins the broke blade in his hand and hits her over the head with its hilt, knocking her out "**I recognized them! The uniform, its only worn by the elite members of the shadows - I thought they were under Talia's command, but I guess she doesn't even know what's happening under her nose**"

"Can we talk about this later? Kind of busy here!" Talon yells, grabbing his grapple gun from his sides and firing it at one of the assassins, wrapping the hook around her wrist, he yanks her over his head and launches her into two other members, he backflips and dodges a blade that was hurled at him. Landing back onto his feet, he fires his grapple gun at the top vantage point above, the top cargo container which launched him up to it. Now standing on top of it, he grabs several of the knives from his back and lunges them towards the five women quickly in pursuit of him.

He manages to hit three of the assassins in the chest with knives, which only left two on his trail and the three pinned to the floor "Man, this is tiring..."

"**Don't let yourself become slow! That is bound to get you killed!**" Batman calls back as he lunges forward and rolls on the deck, grabbing three Batarangs from his belt and throwing them towards an equal number of opponents; knocking the blades from their grasp. Batman stands back up, slowly as his eyes narrow "**Why are you here?!**" he asks the three assassins in a cold tone of voice.

"To kill you at our master's request, you threaten the league and thus you must be dealt with!" the middle woman replies.

"**Stand-down, none of you need to get hurt - tell me what I want to know and you can walk away from this unharmed**" Batman warns as he holds his arms down by his sides "**Who is your master?**"

"You do not demand answers from us, traitor. You have forsaken the great Ra's al Ghul's legacy if you accepted your role as our new leader you could ask for such answers!" she growls.

"Uh-oh, looks like they are here to kill you, I wonder if they will let me go then" Talon lifts his armoured arms up to block a swing of the assassin's sword "Yeah... I didn't think so". The Talon lifts up his leg and kicks the woman off of the cargo container and back onto the floor below.

"**Enough!**" Batman growls as he grabs one of the woman's fist and throws her into one of the open cargo containers, he then turns on his feet, ramming his elbow across another's woman's face and then repeating the same action for the last as he throws the two into the same container as the previous. He bolts the door shut and locks the woman inside. Batman's eyes widen as he breathes heavily "**That... that... was...**" he hits his fist back and knocks over the last assassin from behind "**...enough...**"

The Dark Knight looks up to see Talon hurling another woman over onto the floor, throwing a knife down into her shoulder which pinned her onto the floor. Talon perches over and holds his sides "All...that...could have...been avoided...if...I just waited... one...more second to hear you...out" he grumbles.

"**Yep**" Batman confirms "**Let's get the others secured, then we are heading to Wayne Tower**"

"**Why Wayne Tower?**" Talon says with staggered breaths.

"**Talia works there**" Batman replies as he grabs one of the unconscious women and lifts them over his shoulder.

"You know... I'm too tired to even... ask" Talon drags one of the women by their leg "I need...to save every... breath that... I... can"

"**Are you alright? That encounter shouldn't have winded you the way that it did**" Batman asks.

"I'm... fine... just need a... minute..."

* * *

**1: 20 PM**

**\- Wayne Enterprise Tower - **

**\- 5th Floor -**

"It's been nearly five hours and you still haven't told me a single thing, I am honestly starting to think that you have no intention to tell me about what I want to know - You are making me think that I am just wasting my time here" Selina blows a strand of hair from her face. She stands against the back of the elevator, arms folded and eyes set ahead at the closed doors. Beside her stood Talia, who mimicked the other woman's position with her too standing with her arms crossed, though where Selina had a blank stare, Talia wore an amused smile.

"Really?" Talia taunts with a small laugh "Just so that we have an understanding, I do fully intend to tell you what you want to know - but here's the thing. You desire to learn a piece of knowledge, yet I do not see you offering me anything in return, and I sure as hell hope that you don't think that your company is enough to get on my good side"

"Really? What could I possibly offer you" Selina groans.

"How about a piece of knowledge of your own? I too have questions"

"You say that you want to know something about me? Does this mean that you are warming up to me?" Selina asks with a clear as day annoyed tone as she taps her foot against the floor "Fine, whatever - what do you want to know? Ask away"

"What was it like when Jeremiah Valeska shot you? I believe that he crippled you, broke you and left you to rot" Talia asks coldly as she didn't take her eyes away from the front "That must have been a quite traumatic experience for you..."

"What...? What the hell?" Selina hissed, turning her head to Talia "You...have no right to..."

"Answer me, Miss Kyle - how did that experience make you feel?"

"Go tell hell, I am not talking abou-"

"And then it seems that our business is indeed finished for now" Talia sees the doors to the elevator open "Good Day, Miss Kyle" Talia steps out onto the floor and begins to walk off. Selina fumes, following after Talia until she follows the woman into her office.

"Don't walk away from! We are not finished!" Selina growls "I said don't walk away!" she goes to grab Talia, but she swiftly moves out of the way. Talia then grabs the woman by her neck and slams her back onto her desk. Talia's eyes narrow as she presses her hand against Selina's throat, both women look into the other's eyes.

"As I thought, that moment brings out all of your weakness, all of your misjudgement and anger! Deep down, you are still the poor, pathetic crippled girl who feels sorry for herself!" Talia leans forward "All these years later...you are still haunted by that one moment... the one moment when you felt your most helpless - when you were no more than just a mere empty shell of your former self..."

"...Shut...up..." Selina exhales.

"Why? Are you going to make me?" Talia lifts an eyebrow "That moment now means nothing to you. You can stand, you can have a life - the weight of that moment is gone, you are free to live your life as you please, you could have had a family of your own - a much happier life, yet you chose to continue this path of yours - you willingly put yourself in danger to satisfy your selfish desires..." Talia vents. leaning even closer to Selina "...So tell...me. What did you feel at that moment? What felt so good that you needed to throw away your second chance?"

"I...wasn't afraid" Selina spits.

"Not afraid?" Talia smirks "So you felt fearless at that moment? While lying there in your own blood...you were not intimidated by the threat of death? It looks like Bruce isn't the only one with the darkness within him..." Talia removes her hand from the woman's neck and steps backwards "How interesting...another denominator that both you and Bruce share with each other, how fortuitous" she comments, resting her chin on the back of her hand "Yet you must be angry at Bruce, since that madman only attacked you to hurt him. You must have felt so grateful when he shot you, like all the weight that you carried, all the pain and sorrow that you endured would just vanish, you were hoping to die, weren't you?"

"Are you done?" Selina holds her neck, breathing slowly.

"For now, I suppose" Talia confirms.

"Good" Selina punches Talia across her face, turning the woman's head by the force "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again."

Talia slowly turns her head back with blood dripping from her bottom lip "You are quite a fascinating individual, Miss Kyle..." she uses her thumb to wipe the blood off "I must ask if Bruce is aware of that little detail of yours? You say that I should not hide such details from Bruce, yet you do the very same thing - why might that be?" she asks, now smiling "Doesn't he have the right to know about your wellbeing?"

"Bruce means a lot to me, but that doesn't mean that I am ready to tell him everything about me, he still hasn't earned that back" Selina sits down on the desk "I want to trust him, I really do - but there's a part of me that is dreading that he will just vanish again one day, and leave me behind"

"See, that is where you and I can finally agree. I want to help Bruce, I do - but I am afraid that if I keep holding his hand, he will never fully become the city's saviour. I know you may think of me as heartless, and I don't blame you" Talia sits down beside Selina and folds her arms "...I just want the best for him..."

"Then help him, trying to guide him from a distance will only result in him hating you if you do care about him - then you need to be there"

"I know that Bruce has been becoming more hostile towards me ever since I arrived in this city. I originally came here after hearing that Nyssa was back here, I chose to help Bruce then because he would have no chance in taking down both my sister and the Talon at once, I was scared...that he would get himself needlessly killed" Talia rubs her eyes, looking at the ground.

"So, why did you attack him at that party? Honestly wasn't the best way that we could have been introduced" Selina questions.

"By the time I had arrived in Gotham, Bruce had already suffered a great deal of injury from a conflict between him and the Talon, I was fully aware that he would not listen to my advice and stay out of it, so I had no other choice but to incapacitate him myself, so that I could go after the Talon and my sister by myself - I may have also used Bruce's new condition to draw out the Talon so that I could face him"

"How'd that go for you?"

"Fine... until the commissioner showed up and got in my way, letting Talon escape"

"Could have been worse, he could have shot you" Selina glances down to her left leg "...Be glad that Gordon didn't shoot you...because that sure sucks..."

"After a while, I just gave up and let Bruce come along, sometimes he can be too stubborn for his good, though I would be lying if that trait of his wasn't charming in it's special kind of way. He and I worked together to take down my sister and the Talon, and we managed to do it"

"And in the process, you saved my friend and her daughter, I guess I do owe you for that - Bruce sure as hell couldn't do that without you, but we both know that he would have tried, regardless of the odds against him..." Selina sighs.

"...That's what I love about him..."

* * *

**\- Gotham Docks - ****Shipping yard -**

Commissioner Gordon walks onto the deck of the large ship, followed by a group of other cops "Alright men, I want this whole place searched! Do not leave a stone unturned here! Harper check the cargo, Alvarez take a team with you and search inside, let me know if anything suspicious is found" Harper and Alvarez both follow their orders, taking a small group with them as they part from Gordon "Stay in communication range!" the commissioner advises as he turns his head towards a small number of cargo containers

He takes his gun out of his holster and readies it for action, as he slowly follows the path between two of the containers "GCPD! Come out with your hands up!" he calls out. He turns a corner to be greeted with the large railings to the ship. His eyes narrows as he hears something move behind him, seeing a faint shadow by his feet, one which had large pointy ears and a cape that slowly swerves "I was wondering when I would see you again" Jim turns around to face the dark knight who stands in front of him, his cape draped around his shoulders and arms.

"**I have been where I am needed**" Batman replies coldly.

"If you say so, we really could have used your last night" Jim returns his gun back to his holster "So... Falcone shipping? I always had a feeling that Sophia was using this business to help with her criminal activities, but the Mayor- Ex-Mayor never would let me have a warrant to search this place, shame that it took him dying to finally give me the authority to" Jim looks to one of the cargo containers "I am a little perplexed that you are spending the time to track down shipments when you got a whole circus of looneys out there, this honestly feels like it's not worth your time"

"**Me being here has nothing to do with Sophia Falcone, I was here looking for a lead towards the escapees, I was recently told that they are making their move at midnight - and I am no closer to locating them any more than I was when the Breakout happened - whoever is organizing this, it's like they know how I think, what moves I am going to make...**" Batman tells Gordon with a firm expression. The small drops of rain hit down on both Batman and the commissioner, along with the wooden flooring; making it somewhat slippery.

"You think that it's Nyssa al Ghul, don't you?" Gordon pulls out a small metal knife with owl-themed markings on the hilt "These were used by the person helping her, right? If he's back in Gotham, it's not much of a stretch to believe that she is too"

"She may know how I move, but the way that I think? She's not that familiar with me, it has to be someone else - it's like this whole week has just been a game, a battle of wits - that's not Nyssa's style" Batman walks over to stand beside Jim as they look out to the city of Gotham in the background "When a make a step closer to discovering the truth, something just happens to come up which needs my attention, whoever is behind this... I feel that they have the whole thing planned out"

"If it's not Nyssa, then who?" Gordon asks, standing with his hands in the pockets of his overcoat "You are right about this whole thing feeling like one elaborate game, it's like Gotham is now one giant chessboard. Completed with...pawns, castles, Knights... the whole deal..."

"**While I have been trying to get to the bottom of this, no matter how many criminals I have interrogated, no matter where I go searching in this city... there is always one name that keeps coming up, a name that all of the criminals seem to be frightened of...**"

"Who...?"

Batman turns his head towards Gordon "**The Joker. - Bane, Ivy, Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow - they all seem like nothing compared to him, it's like the underworld is all scared of him and what he can do, most of them are even more scared of him than me...**"

Um...Batman? I'm taking a big risk in trusting you, I need to know if you can stop them - we can't let Gotham fall again, we have just fully gotten back on our feet, another blow like that and this time...there may be no hope of us returning to normal..."

"**That's not going to happen, Jim. Not on my watch - but I need you to be ready just in case that I fail, I need you to begin evacuation of Gotham ASAP. Just in case that I do fail and if Gotham is brought back in a dark age, I can at least feel easy knowing that we saved as many lives as possible**" Batman turns his entire body to face the commissioner "**I am going to go after Bane, he and Nyssa are somewhere in the city, if I can find them - there's a chance that I can stop this whole thing before it starts**"

"I'll put the word out, but without probable cause - I can only make it a voluntary evacuation - millions of people will still be in Gotham when it goes down, there's not much that we can do about that" Jim informs the dark knight who held no change of expression.

"**Nyssa has a vendetta against you and Barbara. You need to make sure that her and your daughter is safe - you need to get them out of the city now, this may be your only chance to keep them safe"** Batman suggests in a calm manner "**Also, the Doctor from Arkham... Harleen Quinzel. She is no longer safe in the city, you need to get her out too along with anyone close to Bruce Wayne. Nyssa hates him just as much as Barbara Kean**"

"Already on it, you really don't think that you can, do you?"

".**..I'll try to**" Batman nods.

Gordon turns his back on the dark knight "We will stop this, I know that we will! We have to, we have to... all of this... was to get rid of you... that means that you are working! It means that the criminals of Gotham are cowering in fear of you, goddamn it! This whole thing is beyond screwed!" The commissioner vents, turning his head to see that the dark knight had vanished. Jim lowers his head, running his hand through his hair "Be careful..."

* * *

**\- 3: 26 PM -**

Batman perches over the top of a gargoyle as he looks out into the city and towards Wayne Tower. His right rests over his knee and his left hand was planted on the surface. His cape slowly swerves from the cold breezes of wind from the height that he was at. He presses his hand to his neckpiece "**Lucius, I need you to go over a few things for me**" he waits for a few moments, slowly becoming more puzzled by a lack of answer from the other side "**Lucius? Come in, Lucius?**"

"**Damn it, Lucius should be in his office around this time - something must be wrong**" he stands upon the gargoyle "**I need to check in with Talia right away**"

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Batman turns his head towards the direction of the cry for help down below. He leaps off of the building and begins to fall towards the ground a great distance below, reaching out with his arms; his cape expands and slows his descent towards the ground until he lands onto a two-story building that oversaw an empty alley. Landing down on his knees and planting his fist into the ground, he looks over the edge and glances through the void passage.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

Batman jumps down onto the fire escape below, grabbing onto the railings.

"HELP!"

The dark knight jumps over the railing and glides down to the ground. His cape falls over his shoulders and arms, he looks straight ahead and his feet begin to walk him down the dark and stingy path. He follows after the voice calling for help which took him further and further into the unclean and unlit alley. Eventually, he found himself face the end as the path leads out into the streets of the city. Batman sees cars drive past the gap between the two buildings along with a few pedestrians who walk on the sidewalk across the road.

"HELP!"

Batman turns his head and sees something attached to the by his side. He recognizes it as being a cell phone being tapped to the bricks. He sees it flashing with each cry of help which happened to come from the device. He rips it off the wall and brings the phone to his ear and answers it.

"_Hello Bruce_" a female voice greets him.

"**...Nyssa..**." he growls her name.

"_Oh... the fierceness in your voice, it is quite... breath-taking_" Nyssa coos.

"**You better save as much breath as you can because you are going to need it**" the dark knight threatens as his hand tightens around the phone.

"_Threatening me? Well... I'm sorry but I can be scared by you, not when I have always perceived you as a scared little brat who killed my father_"

"**Ra's brought that upon himself, he was a diseased madman - he was responsible for his** **demise"**

"_Ra's Al Ghul devoted his life towards the salvation of the world, but you stood against him even when he offered you a chance at greatness_"

**"Enough with this, Nyssa. Come out and face me**"

"_Not quite yet, Bruce. I indeed want to be the one kill you, but I'm afraid you are going to need to wait for now, however, I will be more than happy to kill you tonight. The others all want to kill you, but I'm the only whose doing for a just reason_"

"**Revenge? You tried that before and you failed, and you will fail again and again until you get it through your head. I'm not that scared kid anymore, but you are still the cold, heartless woman from all those years ago**" Batman narrows his eyes "**Name the place and I will come for you, I will stop you here and now!**"

"_Shhhhh. Patience is a virtue, one that you seemingly are not too familiar with"_

"**I'm not playing your game, Nyssa! I am sick and tired of you**"

"_Oh, Bruce. If that's how you feel then I will just kill your butler here and now...do you wanna say goodbye to him?_"

"**What?**" Batman says speechless "**...It was you...**"

"_When I had Alfred taken, I just wasn't quite ready to give him back yet - so I had Hugo Strange make a duplicate for you - to keep tabs on you, but before I could get the most out of the little project, that madman let loose the Jerome clone who killed the copy, I wasn't too happy with him when I heard that_"

Batman clenches his left hand into a fist "**When... I... find... you... I... will...**" he grits his teeth.

"_Bruce_!" Alfred's voice yells, terrorized "_DON'T COME FOR ME! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! DON'T-_"

"**Alfred? Alfred? ALFRED? ALFRED!**"

"_Shhhhhh now, Bruce. There will be plenty of time for that later when we meet face-to-face, farewell for now. In the meantime, tell Talon that I can't wait to get my hands on him, he will die for his treachery_" Batman's eyes widen as the call ends. He breathes heavily, ramming his fist into the brick wall and denting it.

"**AGGGHHH!**" He screams.

* * *

**3: 54 PM**

**\- Gotham General -**

"I know that I am asking a lot right now, but you are going to need to trust me, take Barbara with you and get out of Gotham. Whatever those escapees are planning, it's all going down tonight. And I need to make sure that you. Barbara and my daughter are safe, I can't live with the worry of something happening to you..." James Gordon holds Leslie Tompkins close to him, looping his fingers in hers "You will be safe while I work to try and keep the peace"

"Jim? If what you are saying is true, then I have reason to stay here. Those maniacs will hurt a lot of people, and I am not just going to run away and hide while good people are suffering here" Lee's eyes glimmer as they reflect the commissioner "I'm staying here - where I am needed"

"Lee, this place might become an actual warzone - I just got word that the feds are coming here, and they are notorious for not playing by the *ethical* playbook, I got a bad feeling that they will only worsen the situation. Right now, this city - is not safe for anyone"

"Which is even more reason to stay here, James! I didn't leave last time that Gotham was on the verge of being destroyed and I am not leaving now. I am putting my foot down, Jim" Lee makes her position clear, taking her hand away from the commissioner's "I am staying here - end of discussion"

"There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"Almost eleven years of marriage and you now just get that?" Lee questions "I became a doctor in the first place to help people in need. I'm not a cop, nor some kind of vigilante, right now - this is the only way that I can make a positive difference for people. I need this Jim, and those people out there need me"

"I know..." Jim rests his hands on his hips "No wonder Doctor Langstrum is so impressed by your work"

"He said that?" Lee muses.

"He said that it was *absolutely splendid*" Jim reinforces with a small smile.

"Aw, that's kind of sweet, coming from him"

"He seems like a nice guy. You know, I was talking to him earlier and he told me how he wanted to spend all the time that he could with his wife, It was honestly admirable that after all those years of Marriage, that he still loved her so much" Jim comments. Lee's expression changed to a blank and confused look.

"I'm sorry, what?" Lee bewildered tone expresses all of her concern.

"Something wrong?" Gordon asks.

"Jim..." Lee moves in closer to him "Doctor Langstrum's wife has been dead for years - He never likes to talk about it" the commissioner was brought to an expression of wariness as he hears Lee's words, taken back by the sudden divulgence of information. He was only taken out of his trance when he hears a ringing coming from inside his overcoat. He pulls out his phone and holds it to his ear.

"Commissioner Gordon, speaking"

"Jim, you need to get your butt back to the station right now" Harper's voice warns him.

"Harper? What's wrong?"

"The feds are here and they are dead set on talking you, you should probably hurry to get back ASAP before you get on their bad side"

"Harper, I'm currently busy - can't you keep them talking for now?"

"No, not anymore - you need to get back"

"Alright, alright... I'm on my way" Jim closes his phone and returns it to the pocket inside his coat "Lee... I need to get back-"

"Okay, be careful - alright?" Lee leans towards Jim and kisses him on the cheek "Don't go getting yourself killed"

"I'll try..." Jim kisses the woman back, but this time on her lips "Take care, I love you" he then moves out and begins to jog through the ward. Lee steadily playfully shakes her head.

"I love you too!"

* * *

**4: 01 PM**

**\- Wayne Enterprise Tower -**

"You know... as much I hate to admit it, I have very well become accustomed towards you - though, I wouldn't take it as a full confirmation that we have... what do you Americans say... *bonded*?" Talia stood in front of the window that outlooks the city "I was never expecting to stay in this city for as long as I have, I mainly stayed to understand just what was Bruce's fascination with this city. I always narrowed it down to being something as sentimental to him, after all, he did indeed grow up here"

"But...?" Selina asks as she sits on the desk behind Talia "This is going somewhere, right?"

"Apparently so, I have studied this city thoroughly to the best of my abilities - you see... when I was much younger, my father always made out that this city was beyond saving, like it was meant to be demolished - eradicated" Talia watches her reflection in the glass "When I was on my way to this city, I was under the assumption that was indeed what I was going to find, I was sure that I would see that Bruce's love towards this place is ill-advised and dangerous for him to have"

"Are you going to say that you were... wrong?"

"No" Talia sharply counters "I was right to think that, this city is filthy and full of diseased lunatics who want nothing more than to tear it down, it is everything like my father told me all those years ago. It's almost daunting just how accurate his words truly were"

"Oh... oh... you aren't going to go crazy like your father and sister, right?"

"I should want to take this down, I should want nothing more than to bring this city to ash - to destroy all the corruption and crime - after all, that is indeed my Father's wish for both me and Bruce to achieve together" she turns her head to face Selina "but... lately, I am beginning to feel strange. I feel that there is a part of me who sees the truth in Bruce's mission, his goal to save the city in his way - no matter how flawed or lacking in judgement that his goals come across as..." her voice was full of complexion.

"There's a part of you who believes in what Bruce is doing, no matter how foolish you think that it is - I know that feeling all too well..." Selina flutters her eyes as she speaks, nervously rubbing the back of her neck "I know what you are feeling"

"You do not understand my emotions, Kyle. Do not pretend that you do, you know nothing of me or what I have been through, while I have been informed about your past, you know nothing of mine"

"Then tell me" Selina suggests "I know a thing or two about having a tragic background, plus you still haven't told me about Bruce yet..."

Talia closes her eyes "Very well, I guess that I have been putting it off for long enough" she tilts her head to see Selina's reflection in the glass "Do you recall when I said that it wasn't exactly a happy story? I never meant that it was his tale..."

"Huh?"

"After the first time that my Father was resurrected in this city, he informed me of the vision that he had, both my sister and I were. He told us that one day, A dark knight shall rise from the ashes of this city and become the saviour that this world is in need for..."

"Sounds simple so far, I guess..."

"He told us one more thing. He told us that he would not return to us, nor will we ever see him again - he made it clear that his last wish was for us to follow his orders and to make sure that Bruce would one day take his place as the dark saviour of this city" Talia stilts her expression "And with that, we both knew that our father would once again... meet his end, and he did -though be it by his lunacy, he willingly worked with a madman to bring Gotham down to its knees... I love father, I do - but resorting to such an unhonourable tactic is unforgivable"

"So... you were perfectly fine with him blowing up the city? Your problem was that he... did it with the aid of Jeremiah?"

"Of course I was, I was raised to hold such beliefs - but my Father would have once never chosen to lower himself to aligning himself with such a parasite, but just as I feared. All his exposure to the Lazarus pit melded his mind, changed him - made him lose who he was..."

"Made him go evil?"

"Make no mistake, Kyle. My father never fell into the social norm of *good* or *righteous*, but his intentions were pure and came from a good place, I saw his faults, yet he was my father, and I loved him, no matter how questionable his actions may have come across as"

"Okay, got it..."

"Then... you know what happened next. Nyssa chose to ignore our father's last wish and made her way to this city where she attempted to kill Bruce as an act of revenge for our father, because she was under the belief that he somehow wanted justice when in actual that, he wanted a successor - which my dear sister decided to go against"

"Barbara stabbed her and she was on her way out" Selina finishes Talia's words "Kina funny that she got stabbed by the same knife as her father"

"And well deserved, Nyssa deserved every bit of pain she endured for her foolishness - I only wish that Barbara finished the job, that would have saved me a lot of trouble"

"Okay so, I got the rundown? Great, could you jump to what happens next?"

"I was getting to that, quiet" Talia hushes the other woman "Finally realizing that he has a much larger fate, Bruce left Gotham in his travels. And thus begins the dark knight's journey and his rise" she turns around and leans against the glass, folding her arms and looking to Selina "I kept tabs on him for the first part of his journey, the first three or so years were pretty standard when it comes to training. From what I can gather, that was when he began his combat training, and where he learned the basics, but nothing that would help with his journey"

"Let me guess... you then found him"

"Bingo" Talia compliments "During his miscellaneous adventures he somehow fell in with the wrong crowd and was thus detained and imprisoned, poor Bruce was trying to steal his own property. He remained imprisoned for a good few months, but in the time he sure as hell earned a rep for being a tough son of a bitch. Though his previous training was indeed lacking, he still had more than enough experience to become top dog, all the other inmates were scared of him..."

"But one day, a couple of the inmates got the bright idea of ganging up on him" Talia continues as she brushes a few strands of hair behind her ear "And as expected, they were swiftly subdued by Bruce, however, the guards had finally enough of Bruce and his antics and thus he was thrown into solitary confinement - for roughly a few weeks, until I decided that it was time that we were formally introduced"

"I have been wondering just how Bruce would just so willingly put his faith in another of Ra's daughters after the last one wanted him dead"

"It was simple, I just left out that part - I needed to first earn his goodwill" Talia admits "I came to him as simply Talia Ducard, a somewhat of a similar alias that my father was once known for using - I needed to have it be made of both a real name of mine and a decoy, thus to make it seem believable towards Bruce - though he wasn't anywhere near being the great detective that he is today, he was more than able to detect a dishonest front"

"A lie with a sprinkle of truth?"

"I came to him with a proposition, I would assist him with his escape only if he was willing to come back with me to the shadow's stronghold so that I could begin training him, improving upon what he already was," said the darker-skinned woman.

"Kinda sounds more like an ultimatum rather than well... a choice? Anywhere where did you take him? Now that I think of it... where is the league even located"

"Apologies but that is one detail that I must leave out of this, to divulge such information to an outsider far surpasses betrayal to the league"

"Fine, just get on with it"

"Try being quiet for more than five seconds and I just might - how many times do I have to tell you to stop interrupting me? This is growing slightly tiresome" Talia says irritated by Selina's constant intrusion "It took a while but eventually, Bruce came around to my offer. And once he did, we both headed to begin his true training - our relationship started as standard as it possibly could. I designated myself as his instructor and he was made to follow all my orders - of course, Bruce made some days far more difficult than others"

"I saw the flaws in Bruce's previous training, his previous mentors were too soft on him - they all just saw it as a simple job that they were paid to do, but I?" Talia begins to pace around the room, Selina follows the woman around the room with her eyes "I knew what was at stake, thus I was not as gentle as them. On the contrary, I was given even more reason to be more rough with him - as well the loss of my father may have influenced my cruel nature towards him"

"I often had Bruce face off against other members of the shadows, and sometimes even me it did not go well for him - he was often hurt, beaten and humiliated - over and over, becoming a bloodied mess..." Talia crosses her arms "...but no matter... no matter how many times he was knocked down, no matter how many times he fell or was beaten, no matter how many times he should have given up - he got back up, he never surrendered, getting up again, and again - that's when I first saw it, what my father had told me about..."

"That is when I saw the dark knight that my father foretold of, and that was when I began to feel... strange, when I discovered that I somehow cared for Bruce, I realized that that idiot had somehow won me over, and I felt my care for him - the whole thing was confusing for me. I somehow fell for the man who killed my father, yet I wasn't angry at him anymore - nor was I meaninglessly hostile towards him -" she sits down on the desk beside Selina.

"Being raised within the shadows... never really gave me a chance at a normal life per se, I was never surrounded by other people of my age, rather I and my sister were given over to many trainers in the league. My father wanted us as followers more than he desired us as his children, thus he mostly left us alone to our own devices, we were lucky to see him every few years" Talia crosses her legs and rests both of her hands over her knee "...my lack of interaction with people similar in age to me, must have subconsciously driven me to become much closer to Bruce that I should have, I was well aware that my father told me that Bruce and I would be close, but I thought he meant that I was to be merely his teacher..."

"He never said that I would fall in love with him, he and I both shared such feelings and they lingered between us - we were both aware, but we left it alone, we did not dare speak of such a matter - but one day, I guess... we just lost it, during one of a sparing session... we just lost control and by the time I regained my clarity... we had already finished"

Selina slightly turns her head away from the other woman as she nervously chuckles "...Oh, it was one of those? Yeah... I can relate...I've had a couple of interesting nights before - sometimes I would wake up in the morning after and not even remember the guy's name"

"We... I certainly had no choice but to stay near him, I was assigned as his trainer after all. What made that little episode of ours worse was that I somehow was... happy afterwards, he and I were in love and we both knew it, and what previously happened only quantified our assumption to fact, after that, we somehow gained an active relationship, that meant a lot to us both - through his training resumed as normal and just as harsh, maybe more so now with what we knew"

"For years his training continued, and so did we - they went hand-in-hand with each other, until one day... I feel it, he was finally ready. His training was mostly complete and he was ready to return to Gotham, of course, it would have only been a temporary ordeal to see if he was actually ready for such a responsibility, so I sent him off back here with the condition that he was to return to the shadows after three months - and as I feared, he did not make good on his end of the deal and he remained here when he was not ready or prepared to do so"

"... Son of a bitch..." Selina leans forward "Bruce abandoned both you and me, back-to-back? Goddamn it, Bruce..."

"It would appear so, I will admit, I was hurt by his betrayal of must trust, however, I shouldn't have given it to him in the first place, allowing for my feelings to cloud my judgment was all my fault, and dangerous when it comes to my lifestyle"

"I was then greeted with some very curious news. I was told that a few members of the shadows were somehow murdered by someone who appeared to have all of Bruce's training, of course, I was not ready to believe that Bruce would have used me to get me to train him to only use it to begin an attack against the shadows - I knew that it was the doing of someone else, and thus I began searching on my own, as I had a good idea on who could be behind the attacks"

"Your sister?"

"My sister, yes. She was the only person that I know who could do such a thing like that, but I noticed how whoever killed my men were somehow the exact level that Bruce was at. So I looked to my men inside Gotham and was told that for a few months. There has been someone moving around Gotham's rooftops with a similar style to the shadows, even when... Bruce wasn't even there - That is when I was informed of someone who went by the name of Talon"

"So I decided to come here myself as Bruce would have no chance against my sister, not when he refuses to kill. And when I got here, as previously stated, I made sure to take Bruce out of harms way, for his safety and for me to do what I needed without him looming over my shoulder - but you know how that tail goes" Talia looks to the window of the room with both Selina and her reflection "Even after I chose to help him, train him, and even decided to follow his request of leaving both the Talon and my sister alive - Bruce still just sees my as Ra's daughter and an enemy towards him..."

"It doesn't matter how much I try to help, how much I try to prove him wrong, at the end of that... he just thinks that I am just another villain for him, someone who wants to hurt him... even after all that we have been through... all the time that we spent together... I'm not even considered an ally to him..."

"You said that it wasn't a happy story, right?" Selina holds a hand over Talia's shoulder "You were talking about yourself, weren't you?"

"Almost, I was talking about you and I" Talia replies with a dejected tone, one of sorrow "I know that my family has caused you harm, and I'm sorry if I ever contributed to it - for the longest time, being Ra's Al Ghul's daughter was the only thing I knew, it was the only thing that I wanted - but... Bruce... I think he changed that, changed me... I see good people fighting for this city, people who seem locked in a never-ending battle and they know it, yet they still... they still fight to save it..."

"Man, if only Bruce was here - he needs to know just how much of a pain in the ass he has been for-" Selena and Talia both turn their heads as they hear the doors to the office open. Bruce steps in with a look of anger on his face.

"Bruce?" Selina stammers.

* * *

**4: 07 PM **

** \- G.C.P.D -**

Jim walks into the precinct and is greeted by his officers who look back to him. Among them were what appeared to be armoured men, similar to the S.W.A.T team, however, this group was much larger and were not wearing any uniform that he recognized. Their uniforms were mostly pure black and red markings over the, similar to chess pieces, some had marking of Knights and others of pawns "What the hell is going on here?" he demands the armed men answer. Gordon looks to his side as he sees Harper walk over and stand beside him "Harper? What is the meaning of this? I thought you said that they were meant to be feds? I have never seen this group before in my life..."

"Neither have I, nor has any of our own see them before - they seem to be a governmental secret agency - apparently even more secretive than the FBI and CIA combined, and wait until you get a load of their leader, a right pain in the-"

"GORDON!"

"And there she is..." Harper sighs as she and Jim turn around towards the owner of the voice. Gordon's eyes look to a woman standing by the entrance, dressed in a black suit, with long black hair down to her waist. The woman looks to be in her late thirties or early forties. Jim couldn't quite make an accurate guess to her real age. He feels her glaring at him, looming over him like she was some powerful force that he shouldn't mess with. Her prescience along just by simply standing there was something that Gordon had only felt from one other person, the dark knight, this woman - whoever she came across as even more intimidating and dangerous than even him.

"Good luck" Harper wishes as she leaves Jim alone to confront the woman.

"Commissioner Gordon, I presume? What a failure that you are, you are completely incompetent - You have been causing trouble since the day you got here in this city..." the woman walks forward and glares at the man, which left Jim confused about her "A breakout of the world's most dangerous lunatics happened on your watch, yet you have done nothing to relieve the situation, in fact, you have been completely useless in the matter..."

"I'm sorry? Just who are you?" Jim asks with disdain "You just can't come in here and start yelling at me"

"Oh yes I can, and I bloody will!" she folds her arms "I am special agent Waller, you can call me Amanda - but you will address me as your new boss, signed by the president himself" she replies in a calculating tone, one that worked to get under Gordon's skin "I have been put in charge of a salvage operation to clean up your mess. It is my job to make sure that those animals are put back into their cages and I have a one hundred percent success rate when it comes these kinds of Operations, got me? I will not tolerate any kind of insubordination from anyone: you, the breakfast club that you call a police department, no citizen and absolutely no... vigilantes"

"Are you threatening me?"

"Think of it... as a friendly warning... from a not so friendly person - ... if you catch my drift" Waller warns Jim as she glances around the whole precinct "The moment you become a problem, is the moment I arrest you, this is your only warning, there will be no second chances - hopefully, we can both find common ground to work together so that we can sort this whole matter out. The sooner it gets dealt with, the sooner we will be out of your way"

"If you say that your people can get this whole thing done with, then you won't hear me complaining. Saving as many lives as possible is my goal - if you have the means to do that... then fine, but we do it by the book"

"Glad to see you be so reasonable, Gordon. That's the attitude that I want, don't go losing it - you are going to need it to combat these monsters" Amanda looks straight at the commissioner "This is your city, I respect that - but as of now... it is under my command, which includes you and all the G.C.P.D which means you all now play by my rules"

"Only if their legal and just, acting against the law will make us no better than the people that we are trying to catch" Gordon reaffirms.

"James, thanks to the President - the law is whatever I say that it is, right now... I am the law"

"That's absurd, no one in the right mind would so easily give someone that much power, that's crazy"

"Commission, this is Gotham. And the government couldn't think any lower of this city - the highest homicide rate in all of America, more than double of the second place. This city is full to the brim with lunatics. And this city is still recovering from the last time that it was blown up... the President? The government? They couldn't care less about this place, it's just a stain on their country. He didn't even hesitate to sign me permission to enact martial law"

"They're here, Ma'am" one of the guards informs Waller as she smiles.

"Thank you, bring them in"

Gordon looks over Waller's shoulder and sees two guards walk into the precinct "Hey! let us go!," he sees Harleen and Harvey Dent escorted in by those same guards as they looked to be dragging them in "Aye, watch where you puttin' your hands, pal!" Harleen yells.

"Jim! Who the hell are these men?" Dent questions, clearly distressed "They just broke into Wayne Manner and dragged us out"

"Waller!" Jim growls "Harleen is supposed to be in witness protection! You bringing here is putting her life in danger!" Jim looks over to Harvey "Don't worry you two! Everything is going to be fine, Waller here is going to understand the mistake that she made and will take you back to-"

"I don't think so, James" Amanda swiftly replies "Miss Quinzel's witness protection has been revoked by me, and Dent's transfer, which was illegally done has been nullified too also by me" she lifts an eyebrow "Let's get one thing straight here, Commissioner "I make the rules, if there are ones that I don't like, I will change them. If there are ones that I want, I create them - nothing is off-limits when it comes to the safety of my country, not a single goddamn thing"

"This is wrong, Waller, this is... beyond abuse of power" Jim growls.

"Noted, now get out of my way" Waller looks around to her men "Listen up. Those animals could make their move at any moment, so I want men on the rooftops, at least one per street and I want it done soon! You have all been given a list of targets of both the escapes and other T.O.I's. I want them all taken down or taken out ASAP!" Waller turns her head to another group of the armed men "Alpha team, it's your mission to take the streets - I want checkpoints established before sundown! No one is to pass you without first being cleared - no exceptions - as far as we are to be concerned, this city is now a warzone so treat it like one!"

* * *

**\- Wayne Enterprise Tower -**

"Nyssa? Bruce that is preposterous!" Talia vents as she glares at Bruce "The League of Shadows under my command made sure that she would never see the light of day ever again, it is impossible for her to somehow be in Gotham"

"Oh? Do you mean the same League of Shadows that attacked me this morning? Yeah, something's telling me that you aren't in control that much!" Bruce growls as he steps towards the woman "You had one simple job! one! To keep your goddamn sister out of my city! AND SHE'S BACK, Even worse she's the one who took Alfred!"

"What? Bruce... how do you know if she's even telling the truth?" Selina asks.

"I do. I heard him, Selina! I heard him! He was in pain and scared - yet he told me to stay away from Nyssa, well I am done letting her get away with this crap!"

"Bruce, please hold on" Talia begs as she had trouble even looking the man in the eyes "I swear... if had known that she was responsible... I would have... I would have told you about Alfred... I just... thought... that you needed to hold your own... I did it to help you... in the long run, I never know that she was here..."

Bruce's eyes widened as he covers his mouth with his hand, backing away from Talia "...You... knew... about... Alfred...?" he asks with a heartbroken tone and a shattered spirit. Talia could only gently nod, ashamed of her actions "...You... knew...?"

"Bruce... C'mon, I know what she did was stupid but we more important things to..." Selina looks at Bruce slowly turns his head towards her, his eyes were watering. His eyes flooded with anger, pain and the feeling of betrayal "Bruce..."

"You knew... that she lied to me?" the billionaire backs away from both of the women "How... how could you hide this... how could you hide this from me? How could you take her side? How...could you... Selina..." Bruce hyperventilates as he ruffles his hair with both of his hands "...How... long... how long have you known...?"

"Gordon told me last night, and Talia told she me she knew too, but I got a bad feeling... a bad feeling that there's a part of me that has known for even longer... it hurts whenever I try to think back to that day..." Selina says, holding her hand to her head as she feels a sharp pain in her head "Bruce... this isn't the time to turn against each other, we need to work together and save Alfred - we... we can... we can sort this out later, but right now... Alfred is what is important"

"Selina's is right here, Bruce. We need to focus on saving Alfred" Talia says, slightly weak.

"...How dare you..." Bruce growls "You knew this whole time, you could have told me as soon as you found out, yet you did nothing, you let me be heartbroken, be angry and almost made me lost control... you have no right to even talk to me, Talia... no right..."

"Bruce, I didn't think things would get this bad... you need to believe me..." Talia sorrows "I was stupid, I was really was - and I am so, so... so... sorry..., there is nothing that I can do... there's nothing that I can possibly do... to make this up to you... but you need me... without me... you can't beat Nyssa, none of you can - you need to let me help..."

"No" Bruce's eyes narrow and his teeth grit "You need to get the hell out of my building, out of my city! I never want to see you again, l have vouched for you... I have always defended you against people who said that you nothing but trouble... and this is what I get?"

"Bruce, please... I-"

"No. I never want to see you again, I should have never have trusted you - I should have learned that your family is just out to destroy me that you are all a disease - well I am sick of it, I am sick of your father, your sister, and I am sick of you! Never, Never, NEVER come back here!"

Selina steps between the two "Wait a minute. She is really is trying to help you, she really does care about you..., she is a friend. And you need to begin treating her like one, stop trying to villainize her for everything she does! Sure... what she did was wrong, but yelling out her won't fix it - you need to... you need to calm down and think clearly..."

"She knew... and you were aware of that? You hid that from me too..." Bruce's hand forms into a fist which he holds by his side "I am done with you, the both you - lying to me is one thing, but... Alfred? That is something that you do... you do not hide, that is beyond cruel..."

Selina looks up to the man as she sees the hurt in his eyes "Bruce... I know that Alfred is the closest thing you have to family, but-"

"HE IS FAMILY! He... is..." Bruce walks backwards, not taking his eyes off of the two women "This... this... this is unforgivable. I know that I have hurt you both, but I would never... I would never do what you did... not when family is on the line... I'm done with the pair of you, I'm done!" Bruce turns on his heel and barges out of the room with the whole floor staring at him from overhearing his yells. Talia and Selina both watch on in silence as they see Bruce head down the stairwell in a hurry.

"Oh my god... what did we do?" Selina turns to Talia who remained silent, her eyes still looking the way that Bruce left. Her hands were trembling and her heart was racing. Her breaths were heavy, yet delayed and slowed. Tears gently slide down her cheek from her eyes as they flutter.

"... I really am just like my father..." she whispers.

From down below, Bruce's ears prick as he hears a ringing coming from his jacket. He takes out the same phone from before and answers it "Nyssa... where are you...?" his handshakes with anger, his voice cracks as he speaks, showing how unhinged he truly was "... Let's finish this..."

"_That's the fire that I wanted, I can see why my dear father entrusted the future of the shadows to you..._" Nyssa chuckles "_I just needed to be sure that you would be alone, this is just meant to be about us, and I am feeling ready to meet you. I tell you what, if you come and meet me alone, I shall give you back your precious Alfred - but that feeling of the reunion will not last, as I have plans to kill you_" Nyssa leans forward as she hisses her words.

"You were watching us?" Bruce asks, looking around the stairwell "That's a little unfair, don't you think?"

"_Oh, Bruce... I was never raised to be *fair*. I was raised to be the best and win, no matter what gets in my way and you have gotten in my way too many times. Today is the day you die. I am going to kill you and avenge my father_"

"... you're going to try..." Bruce traverse down another floor "I'll even give you the first shot"

"_How kind of you, but I won't need it - I just need to get the last shot. I'm going to give you an address and you better be there at the time I say - don't try coming for me any sooner, otherwise... think of what can happen to poor little Alfred? I'm sure... you won't be able to live with yourself if something happened, right_?"

"If... you touch a single hair on his head, I will..."

"_Hush now, Bruce. I am way past that point, I am offering your butler alive - I never claimed for him to be in pristine condition_"

"Name the place"

"_Good boy, now that's what I wanted to hear...one more thing, Bruce. After you are dead, I don't want to get bored so do me a favour and bring... um...what do you call him? Ah, yes... bring *Thomas* with you" Bruce hears Nyssa laugh "I got to admit that Thomas sounds much better than 514A, kinda cute how he named himself after your Father. Do I sense some kind of *brotherly* bond between you two? That's adorable..._"

"You can have me, but not him. He has nothing to do with this, you've done enough damage to him"

"_I believe that I will be the judge of that, he betrayed me and my trust and you know how the league handles betrayal in its own ranks. Bring him to me or I will kill Alfred, you do not have a choice_"

"But you do! Your father is dead, you don't have to follow his teachings anymore, you can stop this right now and walk away. No one has to get hurt, please... I am begging you to stop this"

"_No. Not until I am overlooking your lifeless body! I was everything my father wanted, I was beyond skilled enough, smart enough and powerful enough to take over the league after him, but he chose you over me! After all that I did for him, he wanted you to take his place! First Barbara Kean and then you! I will never be worthy to lead the league until I prove myself by killing you! He had two daughters who followed his commands without complaint or hesitance but then... then he came to you and forgot about us... like... we were nothing to him like I was worthless to him!_"

"Are you trying to make me feel bad for you? It's not going to work, I have had it with you and your family coming into my life and hurting the people that I love!" Bruce's eyes narrow and he spits with each word "As much as I hate you, you were right about one thing"

"_Oh, yeah? And would that happen to be?_"

"You were a disappointment to Ra's, he told me that himself"

"_You... little..._"

"I am offering to play your game, I never claimed that I would play nicely..." Bruce replies "Now are you going to name the place?"

* * *

**8: 54 PM**

**\- G.C.P.D -**

Jim Gordon stands insides the captain's office of the G.C.P.D, looking across where he sees Amanda Waller sat behind the desk. She holds a phone to her ear and was speaking to someone on the other end of the line. The commissioner was left to standing with his arms folded, not much else that he could do with the woman there. He had a bad feeling that she could arrest him just for breathing wrong, let alone him conveying any aggression against her.

"How much longer until the checkpoints are operational?" Waller asks, tapping a pen in hand against the desk "Not good enough, I wanted them done before sundown! And we are just past that. Get them online before I call again or there will be trouble, hear me?" he threatens whoever she was talking to. Gordon decided to stand there and not draw any unneeded attention from her. She was the one who called him in, however, she remained in her call even when she saw him walk in. If he had to take a guess, he would say that he could have been standing there for nearly ten minutes as she went through call-to-call.

"Yes, you better" Waller said before she abruptly ended the call and places the phone on the desk "Oh, sorry about that" Waller smiles, a clear as day fake and insincere attempt to be friendly towards him, and one that he could plainly see right through "Commissioner, take a seat"

"I would preferer to stand"

"Very well, you are an adult" Waller stands up from the chair "I am grateful that you have been so easy to work with, sure you have had a few outbursts - but that is to be expected when your command is suddenly overthrown by some stranger like me - there are usually some more complications"

"I don't have a choice but to play nice, considering you just enacted martial law"

"I said that I was grateful, I never said that I was surprised - usually it takes me to assert my authority until people like you learn to take me seriously" Waller holds her arms behind her back as she paces around the commissioner "Oh I have read all about you, James and honestly your record is exactly what I thought it would be, which is not a good thing, far, far from it"

"Permission to speak freely" Gordon bluntly asks.

"I would be disappointed if you didn't"

"I know a lot of terrible things have gone down on my watch, but if you think that I am the first commissioner to go down with this record, you would be wrong. My record is the cleanest out of all the other commissioners that have come before me - and trust me, that doesn't make me sleep easy, but it let me knows that I am on the right track"

"Oh sorry, my bad" Waller says in a fake surprised voice, full of sarcasm "Don't try to bullshit me, James. A rose by any other name can still be cut down just as easily as any other"

"You said it yourself, Waller. Gotham is not your regular forte, a dirty record here is the equivalent to a squeaky clean one from Metropolis or even Star City, I am not proud of that - but I have learned to make peace with it"

"Good for you, James, however, I am not so lenient with these matters" Waller picks a folder from the desk and opens it "Funny that you happen to name all of those cities, Commissioner. Do you by chance happen to know what Gotham, Metropolis and Star City all have in common?" she hands Jim a sheet of paper that she took out of the folder.

Gordon looks at the sheet closely and sees a sketch of what appeared to be Batman "Heroes?"

"Heroes?" Waller lifts an eyebrow, clearly amused by the man's response "Is that what you call them? That's a very strange perception for someone who's job is to hold up the law to have. Batman, Superman, that robin Hood wanna be are vigilantes, they actively go out and break the law as they see fit. I will not tolerate any of them, and the best place to start is with the *The Dark Knight* himself, snazzy name by the way" Waller smirks as she sees the uncertainty on the commissioner's face.

"This is a power play to stop Batman and the others?" Gordon asks perplexed.

Boasting a cunning smile, Waller rolls eyes "This is about stopping all the criminals on my list, and Batman is numero uno - who did you think those rooftops units are for? Oswald? Nygma? No, our prime target is Batman and the rest of his rogues gallery comes second, along with every other criminal that I see fit - so you better play nice"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gordon asks as Waller stops behind him and leans up to his ear.

"See, I noticed that Barbara Kean and Leslie Tompkins were exonerated of all charges even though, one is a murderer and the other spent time as a crime boss? What gives you the right to play favourites and let them off the hook for their crimes? That sounds like an abuse of your power, isn't that right? The same thing that you were accusing me of, how funny is that?"

"No..."

"Oh yes," she breaths down Gordon's neck "I can get your wife locked up for decades, I can get Barbara Kean arrested and receive the death sentence and your daughter? I can make it so that she put so far through the care system... that you will never see her again, understand?"

"You can't..."

"And do you know what makes me different from all the lunatics that you have gone up against? I can destroy you, your life, your loved ones all in a snap of my fingers" Waller runs her index finger under the commissioner's chin "I have the law on my side, I can make everything bad that you can imagine happen to you, and I can do it all legally..." Waller walks away from Gordon "So next time you think of having a rooftop chat with your vigilante buddy, just remember... that I will know and your life will come crumbling down right beneath your feet..."

"Good day, Commissioner"

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**10: 26 PM**

The dull grey sky had darkened and the city was left in the cloak of night. Lights ignite the city in a soft glow, one of neo-blue and red lights from all across with a few greens and yellows mixed in to make the city a treat to look at night, especially around Wayne Tower where the colors were at their brightest and most diverse. The light-neo blue lights that glow through the tower, almost making it a beacon for the rest of the city, the glow is most prominent on the W of the tower outstretches far past the city's limit.

Among the rooftops far below the tower stood both Batman and Talon who stand on the ledge. Batman stands firmly, his arms by his sides and his cape was left to gently swerves as it was blown by the hard-hitting rain over befalls the city, the raindrops were coloured in by the bright neo lights from across the city, making some drops have a tint of blue, red and yellow with a few have a combination of them. Batman stands now soaked from head-to-toe in costume.

Beside Batman stood Talon who rests his hands on his hips, they both overlook the city as they stand beside each other. Talon's armour was indeed soaked by the storm, the assault of the rain all over that hit his body made small clanks as they hit the armour, dripping down once they splash down on him. Talon's vizor's glow help to highlight several drops of rain, brightening them as they pass down or drip over the white orbs themselves.

"There's no use pointing out that this is a trap, right?" Talon says with a calm tone, he looks over the ledge and down to the ground seeing cars drive by. He sees people hurrying through the streets, some with umbrellas to shield themselves from the storm, but others were not as fortunate. He could make out an old man who was using a newspaper as cover, though it looked like it wouldn't last much longer before the rain would force the paper apart and soak it beyond usage.

"I know" Batman replied as he too turns his gaze down below to the streets "But this could be my only chance to get Alfred back, I couldn't live with myself if I don't get him out of harm's way"

"I worked closely with her, and I should warn you that she knows that. She will try to use that against you, try to distract you and make you an easy target" Talon kneels down on the ledge as he rests his right arm over his bent knee and uses his left arm as support, pressing his hand against the ground "If you go to her on her terms, she will have every advantage over you - you will have nothing to challenge her with, going there now will only resort in your death..."

"Anything to protect Alfred" Batman closes his eyes "Nyssa only went after him because of me, I can't live with that. I can't forgive myself for being the reason that Alfred is suffering," the dark knight holds his hand to the bat symbol on his chest "All the harm that has befallen my city, all the criminals loose and the people that I love that are hurt, it is all because of this" he clenches his armoured hand into a fist "I left Gotham all those years ago to make sure that I could protect everything that I held dear"

"And you still can, you just need to think clearly about this one. Make a plan, a strategy to face Nyssa"

"Selina, Talia, Gordon, Alfred... in my journey to try and protect them, I have accomplished nothing but getting them hurt, either by me or my enemies" Batman looks down and sees a small boy walking along with both his mother and father walking beside him, holding his hands in theirs. The three were smiling, laughing even with the parents holding up an umbrella up over their heads each which shielded themselves and their son "Harvey... damn, I wanted to see him win the Mayor's seat, I guess that I just need to be there with him in spirit..."

"Why are you talking like that? You're going to be fine, you have me and the others by your side - understand?" Talon jumps back onto his feet "Nyssa does not get to kill you! Not after all this! She does not get to win after all that she's done, all that's done to me... to your friends... to you... she can't win after all of that, she just... can't..."

"I made a mistake when coming back here, Thomas. I believed that I could just somehow jump back into a life that I haven't had a long time. I could be surrounded by the people I care about, keep fighting the good fight as Bruce Wayne, but I can't. That's not who I am anymore - that man vanished a long time ago, maybe he was someone who never existed in the first place... maybe he was just a dream, a hope at a normal life... well I have finally woken up, I'm not Bruce Wayne anymore, his life cannot be mine..." Batman turns his body to face Talon.

"I... I... I don't understand, Nyssa said that she wanted me to come with you if I don't do that... she will kill Alfred, and just like you... I can live with the thought of someone else paying for my crimes, let me come with you... this is our fight and we can end it... together"

"I'm not taking you with me, that will be the same as escorting you to your execution. And I'm not trading your life for Alfred's - he would never forgive me, and I couldn't forgive myself either. Nyssa's grudge is against me, it's the reason she used and manipulated you.. go, Thomas. There's a much bigger world out there... go and live in it, have a life - one that I could never have, go and be happy. Go and finally become your own person, you deserve it" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and lifts his arm up.

"Bullshit! I am not running away! I am not leaving you so that you can go to your death!" Talon stresses as he glares at Batman.

"I have a plan, don't worry about me... just promise me one thing..."

"What...?"

"Tell Selina... that she can keep that diamond, tell Talia... that by the time she found me in the prison... I already knew who she was, and Gordon..." Batman looks to Talon "He once said that no matter how dark and scary the world might seem, there is light..." Batman closes his eyes "Tell him, thank you for being that light for me..."

"What's the plan? Please... don't do this, I need to know that you are going to be alright, please?"

"The plan is to do the one thing I know Bruce Wayne would do... save Alfred, no matter what happens, take care of yourself..." Batman grapples away and was launched across the skyline. Talon's eyes narrow as he quickly makes a ploy to grab his grapple gun, but stops when he sees that it was missing.

"That bastard took my grapple..." Talon whispers as he watches Batman glide across the city until he was so far out that Talon could no longer see him. He eyes look over to Wayne Tower as he slowly glances upward until his eyes are set on the top of the tower "What kind of life can I have besides this one... I was made for this"

[5 Minutes Later]

Batman was perched over a gargoyle as the rain pelts down hard against him. He reaches into his utility belt and brings out a phone. He dials it and holds it to his ear "**I'm on my way...**" said the dark knight, sounding defeated in his tone.

"_Don't keep me waiting, Bruce_" Nyssa laughs.

Batman ends the call and crushes the phone in his armoured fist "**You don't get to be that fortunate...**" he growls, lightning strikes down from behind him "**...You don't get to be that fortunate...**"

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise Tower**

"He wasn't thinking straight, Talia. Bruce... he has been going through a lot, I know that once he thinks this over, he will come back and make amends with us - he cares about us, I know that he does - that is the one thing that has always stayed the same about him" Selina tries to reassure Talia was sat behind her desk, signing a pile of papers, once after other without taking a moment to rest or to even look at Selina "Talia? Can you even hear me?"

"Yeah... yeah, I can" Talia places another sheet of paper to the side.

"What are you even doing? You seriously cannot be working on business after what just happened" Selina asks, concerned for the other woman "Bruce was harsh, I know that and overly harsh when it came to you - he just needs some time to cool down and then you see... he will be as good as new"

"Bruce was right, Selina" Talia throws another sheet to the pile beside her "What I did was unacceptable, unforgivable and selfish. I let my nature cloud my judgment, I allowed for my father's past words to dictate my future, and look where it has gotten me, here. I thought that I was doing the right thing by stepping aside and allowing for Bruce to solve this matter on his own so that he could reach the potential that I know he can but in the end... I only ended up hurting him and destroying any resemblance of trust that he and I had..."

"Hey, it isn't all your fault, Bruce didn't need to blow off as much steam as he did back there, he went way overboard - honestly it sounded like he was just projecting his hate of Nyssa and Ra's onto you. Truth be told, when I first met you... I blamed you too, I only saw your sister and father in you, I never once thought to think of you as your own person, you had your own life, your own experiences - sure you aren't perfect, but who is? What I am saying is that... all the times when Bruce defended you from every ill word I spoke of you with, I thought that he was just doing it out of... well...you know? But I understand that he saw the good in you that I didn't even bother to look for..."

"I am honoured that you look upon me with a newfound fondness, I will remember you, Miss Kyle"

"Remember?" Selina asks, confused.

"As Bruce said, I am leaving Gotham effectively immediately, he was right to ask me for such. He reminded me that I do not belong here, that my place is not with him nor his journey, I'm afraid that he is where we must part ways, miss Kyle" Talia stands up from out of her chair and neatens the pile of papers "I just finished my resignation, my place in this company and Bruce's life is now finished, not that I felt welcomed, to begin with..."

"Hold on, you're leaving? Just like that? What about Nyssa, Bruce is planning to go after her and you said he doesn't have a chance"

"Forgive me, Miss Kyle, but Bruce made it clear that he does not want my assistance, thus I am to honour that request"

"But Bruce wasn't thinking clearly! He was thinking with any logic, just his emotions - you can't be seriously willing to let him face your sister on his own?"

"I don't like it either, Miss Kyle - but I have betrayed him more than I want, I cannot stand to go against his wishes anymore... I know that I sound like I a-" Talia turns her head towards the window "Do you hear that?" she asks, lifting her arm to push Selina back.

"Hear what?"

"Get down!" Talia shoves Selina to the ground as a figure crashes through the window; shattering it all onto the floor inside. Talia's eyes focus on the person that had broken into the office, one that she instantly recognized "Talon..." she hisses. Talon slowly stands up from his knees, holding his arms by his sides and looking straight at both Talia and the women on the floor "With Nyssa back, I thought that you wouldn't be far behind... you may have gotten away the last time we fought, but not this time..."

"I'm not here to fight you" Talon tells Talia in a cold voice, echoed from inside his helmet "I'm here to talk" he leaps forward onto the desk, perching on it while he keeps the white orbs of his helmet trained on Talia "Bruce needs your help, he was talking crazy, like he was going on suicide mission"

"What?" Selina slowly stands back up "He's already going after Nyssa? That's not a good sign..."

Talia rolls her eyes "Please, you expect me to be fooled for such a simple trick? I know that you work with Nyssa and have actively murdered members of the League of Shadows, I cannot allow for that to go unpunished, I see that you have revered back to that outfit of yours...such a tainted loo, following after my sister... such a waste of potential, just who do you think you are?" Talia questions. She sees The Talon slowly reach for his helmet.

"Wait! Don't!" Selina advises.

"I'm more connected to Bruce Wayne than you think" Talon throws his helmet on the ground, giving the two women a good view of his face. Talia's eyes widen, as she sees the man in front of her "I'm trusting you with this so that you can trust me - Bruce is in danger and we need to get to him pronto before he gets himself killed..."

"No, that's impossible... Nyssa just wasn't trying to make her own Batman, she was trying to make her perfect Bruce Wayne... why she chose you... it all makes sense... she was trying to take mine and Bruce's legacy which my father foretold of... this whole time, she was trying to take away my very own last wish to my father..." Talia commented as she was shaken by the sight in front of her, her eyes were dazed and her mind was racing "My sister has always been heartless, but this? This is new low... even for her, this is sickening..."

"As much as I hate playing devil's advocate, especially for your sister... this clo- this guy in front of us... wasn't made by your sister, he was an experiment of some place called Indian Hill below the asylum" Selina folds her arms "He also pushed me out a window one time, and it hurt like hell"

Talon jumps off of the desk and picks up his helmet, he puts it back on and looks over to Selina "To be fair, you did stab me after that"

"Yeah and you didn't even notice until Alfred pointed it out, Mr I don't feel any pain, we are not even - just so that we are clear" Selina rolls her eyes.

Talon walks towards them and opens up his hand "Nyssa has been calling Bruce all day. She told him that was going to kill Alfred if he didn't do what she said. I was originally supposed to go with him, but he made me stay behind - darn fool went off to face her on his own"

"You didn't go after him?" Selina asks.

"I couldn't since he stole my grapple gun, but I managed to take something of his" Talon explains.

"What was it?"

"It's not on me, it's on him..."

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

Harleen Quinzel and Harvey Dent sit beside each other behind one of the desks of the main floor of the precinct as a flurry of both officers and soldier scatter about, walking all around. Some were even holding weapons that were ready for use. Harleen lowers her head to the ground and rests her hands in her laps "This is crazy... I woke up this mornin' waiting to get my new dress, I was having fun with you and Bruce - it was like I finally found myself... some friends... it was so sweet, so perfect, but then once again, just as my life is going great and I'm having fun, enjoyin' myself, it is once again ripped away from like it was just a cruel joke all along..."

Harvey turns his head to the blonde and he slides his hand over hers "Hey, don't talk like that. I don't know for the life of me what is going on, but Bruce and I are still going to be here for you, Harleen. I'm not going anywhere, I promise..."

"Easy to say now" Harleen lifts her hands and embraces herself tightly "I've never really been what you would call *popular*. I never really had any friends growing up, let alone in my adult years, every time that I feel like I have made a new friend, every time that I think I made a new connection with someone... they just leave me, just like that. Like I never really meant anything to them... after a while, it just all wears you down, breaks you..."

"Harleen..." Dent brings his arm around the woman's shoulder and brings her closer to him "Bruce and I aren't like that. We stick with our friends no matter what, that is why Bruce and I chose to work together to save this city... well... why we teamed up to get me into office, but... from the looks of it..." Harvey looks around the room to the multitude of masked men wondering about "...It's going to take much more than simply a good person in office to change things..."

Harvey's eyes widen as he sees Jim walking down the stairs and towards them "JIM! OVER HERE!" he calls out to the commissioner. Gordon turns his head towards Dent and starts pacing towards both him and Harleen. Both Harvey and the Blonde stand up to greet the commissioner "What the hell is going on? Who the hell are these guys? I demand you tell us, right now - they just came barging into Bruce's home and dragged us out and something's telling me that they don't have a permit!"

"Harvey, keep your voice down - please do not cause a scene" Jim advises the other man as he rests his hand over the man's shoulder "Right now, there are no permits, codes or regulations. Right now... there is just what she calls for..."

"What?" Harvey speaks with disdain "Jim, how can you be okay with that? She has broken dozens of violations that would cost you your badge in a heartbeat! This is wrong, no this is disgusting and the fact that you are going along with it just makes you even worse..."

"Harvey, please be quiet - for your own sake" Gordon hushes the man, seeing that they were gaining the attention of the masked men all around the room who turns their heads to see the two "You do not know what she is capable of, trust me..."

Harleen's eyes look to Jim "Whoever that woman was, she's blackmailing you, isn't she? I don't need my PHD to see it all over you - you are actually scared of her...," Harvey uses his own hand to force Jim's off of his shoulder.

"Is this true, Jim? What can she possibly have on you that would make you complacent to such... such violations of basic human rights?" Harvey asks with a horrified expression as he looks to Jim in a way that he never thought he could "... What does she have on you?"

"My family, Harvey. Lee, Barbara and my daughter. Waller can take them all away from me, and I won't be able to anything about it - I'm in an impossible situation here" Gordon whispers to Harvey and Harleen who were beyond outraged.

"Your family? She's using your family as a bargaining chip?" Harleen flutters her eyes "Jim, she will always have that over you know, now that you have shown weakness to her once, she will now know how to exploit it as much as she wants... there is no winning now..." the blonde warns the commissioner.

"So you are more than happy to turn against your friends?" Harvey folds his arms "Let me ask you this, Jim. What happens when your Waller buddy decides that Bruce is causing trouble? What if being the true friend he is, he doesn't fall in line like you and actually defends his friends? What if Waller tells you to go after Bruce and arrest him? Would you do that? Would you betray his trust just because you were too weak to stand up against basic blackmail?"

"Harvey, this isn't abou-"

"Answer me, Jim. Would you do it?"

"Harvey... it's a complicated situation, I know... what Waller is doing is beyo-"

"You would, wouldn't you? You would turn on Bruce to save yourself and your family's" Dent glares at Gordon "Get out of our sight, Gordon. I think that we are done talking to you..." he warns the commissioner who could only answer with his silence.

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" one of the guards comes up to them, holding his uzi across his chest "You lot better pack it in before I am forced to settle this debate for you" Gordon nods and waves at the guard with a smile.

"No, everything's fine. Nothing is wrong, don't worry we have settled anyway"

Dent's eyes narrow "Excuse me? Did you just threaten me along with my friend? Who the hell do you think you are?" he steps towards the guard. Harleen stood behind Dent as she tugs at his hand, trying to make him look at her.

"Harvey! Please don't do this, you heard Jim, these guys don't care about the regulations..."

"No! I did not spend decades as the district attorney just so that some thugs can come barging into my city and disobey and ignore every rule that I have fought tooth and nail to preserve! I'm not backing down from these... these thugs when they represent everything that I have been fighting against!" Harvey barks back to Harleen "Jim may be willing to play by their rules, but not me. I have the respect and love for my city to never give in to such betrayals of the system I have been fighting for!"

"Harvey, don't!" Jim yells.

"You heard the man, you better shut it before I shut it for you" the guard replies.

"I will NOT be threatened, now I want to speak to your boss so that I can tell just how much she disgusts me, how she is a blight upon this country and the rights that it gives its people! She should be ashamed of herself" Harvey looks ahead to the office above the stairs "I think I will do right now"

"Sir, if you take a single step towards that office, I will use hostile force"

"You can't scare me, you can't make me fear you. I stand up for this city's people and their rights! To not challenge you is just the same as letting you continue with your cruel endeavour!" Harvey yells "There's an old saying that I live by, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," Harvey tells the guard. The soldier shrugs his shoulder and without a delay, whacks Harvey across the face with his uzi which knocked the man to the ground.

"Seems like you are doing nothing to me" the guard laughs as he lifts his boot and kicks Harvey's face repeatedly, over and over. Harleen's eyes widen as she goes towards Harvey but she was suddenly pulled back by another one of the guards. A couple more guards had joined the fray as they too kick Harvey mercilessly, one in his lower back, another in his stomach and the third still hitting his face. Blood spills out of Harvey's mouth and nose.

The taste of metallic fills his mouth and blood covers his teeth, he dribbles the crimson liquid out onto the ground where his face led, covering the left side of his face in the metallic red substance, sticking it down to the floor. He bleeds heavily out of both of his nostrils, his nose was broken and distorted. He yelps and screeches with each new blow delivered to either his face of the body. He begins convulsing, shaking all over and spasming, spitting out blood from his mouth.

"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Harleen yells, turning her head to Jim "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DO SOMETHING! THEY'RE KILLING HIM, THE'RE KILLING HIM... THEY'RE KILLING HIM!" she tries to struggle out of the hold of them binding her "JIM! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! DO SOMETHING, PLEASE...PLEASE JUST DO SOMETHING!" she screams, losing all composure "WHY ISN'T ANYONE DOING ANYTHING! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!," However Jim stood there, watching at the sight in horror, seeing Dent becoming a blood-covered mess.

"What the hell is going on out there!" Waller yells as she storms out of her office and sees the sight of Harvey lying on the ground, bloodied, broken and crying "What happened?" she yells as she looks to the three men surrounding Harvey "Explain this now!"

"Commander Waller! We were just minding our own business when Dent started to get all hostile, he was yelling out wanting to *put a stop to you* so we looked into it. Once we did, Dent got all hostile and attacked us - we were just defending ourselves!" the guard calls up to Waller.

"What?" Harleen gasps as she growls "LIAR! HE ATTACKED DENT! HE ATTACKED DENT! JIM TELL HER! TELL HER THE TRUTH! HARVEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"

"Gordon! Is what Miss Quinzel saying true?" Amada asks with a smirk as she looks to him.

"YES! YES, IT IS, THESE BASTARDS ATTACKED HIM, LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO HIM! LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO HIM... LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID... look at what they did..." Harleen cries.

"I saw it with my own eyes, Waller" Gordon had to look away from Dent's blood-soaked face "Dent did indeed instigate the incident..."

"Oh, so it was true? Very well... Gordon, please arrest Mr Dent for assault" Waller smirks "Let this be a reminder to anyone who thinks they can go against me or my command, right Gordon?" Waller leans on the railing as she looks to the commissioner.

"What? No! JIM... HOW COULD YOU, HOW COULD YOU! BRUCE WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU, HE WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU!" Harleen screams, kicking the man holding her in the shin, she then kneels beside Dent. Her hands caress the man's hair, becoming soaked in the man's blood "Harvey, Harvey! Can you hear me? Oh my god...oh my god...oh my god, OH MY GOD!" she lifts the man's head up, revealing that the left side of the man's face was badly bruised and missing large patches of skin "No...no...no..." she slowly turns to Jim "He's barely breathing, Jim... how could you... how could you...?" she sobs, the tip of the bangs had become exposed to the blood of the man, causing them to look almost died in a faint red tint.

"...He was your friend, Jim..." Harleen lowers her head "He... he... was your friend... you are dead to me... Jim..."

"GORDON! I said arrest Dent" Waller repeats herself.

"Waller, he needs medical attention! Leaving him in a cell in his current condition... could be fatal" Jim gulps, looking to the woman high above him "I'll arrest him, but he needs treatment otherwise he could die, a man could die"

"Cry me a river, Gordon. Dent should have known better than to challenge my command and assault my men. Whatever happens, happens!" Waller shouts down "I tell you what, throw Miss Quinzel in the cell with him, and give her some supplies - she's a doctor, right?"

"Of Psychology, she isn't prepared to deal with most of his injuries"

"Then have her attend to the ones that she can and hope for the best"

Harleen's eyes widen as she hears Harvey try to speak, his lips were mashing together, like a fish on land and Harleen could barely make out what he was trying to say until she adjusts to his gasps "B-b-b-br-br-br-bru-br"

She slides her hand over his blood-stained one "Harvey... Bruce isn't here, I'm sorry, I'm sorry - looks like I'm the only one here for you right now..."

* * *

**\- 11: 00 PM-**

Batman glides down onto the red carpet that covers the floor on his knees, his cape droops over his shoulders and he looks around. As ordered by the oldest Al Ghul daughter, Batman had arrived at an empty church, full of dozen row of wooden benches and the large angelic statue at the front above the Organ.

The place was dimly lit with the most source of light coming from lit candles surrounded all around the large isle. The multi-coloured stained windows show glimpses of the harsh outside world, with the sounds of thunder sound distant and afar from the sanctuary.

"**I'm here! Now show yourself!**" he yells, slowly ascending upwards until he was standing straight. The rain from outside was just as vicious as ever, storming down with thunder and lightning adding to the fierce weather that shakes Gotham. The dark knight waits for a few moments for an answer to come, but it the time he gave, one did not and he was left to presume that he alone "**NYSSA! COME OUT NOW!**"

"**NYSSA**!"

"**NYSSA**!"

"**NYSSA**!"

His eyes narrow as he sees Nyssa al Ghul walk out from behind the angelic statue, humming a tune as she leans back against the Organ. She was positioned with her left leg raised and was curved backwards against the Organ. She turns her head to look at Batman, looking uninterested at this prescience, however her smile was the sign of her own believed grandeur rather than Batman's.

"Hello, Bruce - it's good to see you, I missed our meetings together, they were always so... memorable" she pushes herself forward and off of the Organ "What? Something wrong, you don't seem to be happy to see me, I'm honestly hurt by your calisse, I expected more from you... like the Talon... I don't see him with you"

"**NO GAMES, NYSSA! You already have me!**" Batman struts forward with aggression "**WHERE IS ALFRED?**"

Nyssa gives a silent laugh, looking amused by the man's outburst "Oh, Bruce. I am honoured bound to keep my end, don't worry!" she begins pacing back and forth between spots "You will see your dear Alfred soon, but it will be the last thing that you will ever see..., I can see that the plan worked exactly as planned"

"**All this? The breakout? Jerome? They were all distractions, distractions to stop me from discovering that you had taken Alfred so that you could lure me here. Is this what Knightfall is? A petty scheme of revenge for your bastard of a father!**" Batman growls.

Nyssa chuckles, throwing her head up as she laughs "Wrong, Bruce - ever so wrong. You are right about me using these distractions to my benefit, but I wasn't the one who came up with this. You really have no idea just what is going on right under your nose, have you?" she says discourteously towards the vigilante "This was whole scheme was the brainchild of one... very, very... sick man"

"**Fine, I can just settle with taking you down!**" Batman responds with his usual rough growl "**No more games, no more hostages - we do this fair, no distractions, no excuses to hold back! This is it!**"

"Yes! That is what I want to hear, Bruce!" Nyssa applauds "You were trained in the ways of shadows, not just in the way of combat but in our ways of thinking!," the dark-haired woman takes pleasure in the man's worry as she slowly inches towards him with every step that he took "In a fight, the mind can prove to be far more deadly than any weapon that one could wield, see a sword? An axe? They all have their limited possibilities, but one's own mind is not held back by such limitations!"

**"I don't care about your words, Nyssa! I don't care about you! What I care about is Alfred Pennyworth! Show me him, now!**" the dark knight snarls at Nyssa "**I am not listening to you! I am not playing by your rules! You and I are enemies! NOW SHOW ME ALFRED!**"

"Oh... Bruce, I was just starting to like you too... very well" Nyssa snaps her fingers "Eduardo, you know what to do!"

Batman turns his head behind him when he hears the doors to the church open. There stood Bane who shoved Alfred onto the ground. The Dark Knight's eyes widen as he sees the man's condition. He was bleeding, with cuts across his face and neck. His suit was torn and looks dirty, unclean. Alfred's hands were covered by bandages, and he could barely make out a single in tellable word. Seeing the vigilante before him, he slowly tries to reach out to him "...M...m...Mast-ma... b-b-r-br... you... shouldn't have... come..."

"**Alfred? ALFRED! ALFRED!**" Batman screams.

"It... did warn you of what you might find, Bruce" Nyssa laughs as she sees the terror on the man's face which was clear to make out, even with his cowl covering most of it "Just to prove that this is indeed Alfred..." she nudges towards Bane. The brute lifts his leg and pressing his foot against the man's back; causing him to scream. Batman could faintly hear a crunch sound coming from the man.

"**Oh... my god, Alfred...**" the dark knight grinds his teeth together and he clenches his hands into fists "**All this...? You did this all to me, just because I got handed a fate that I didn't even ask for! All the pain that you have caused, every single life that you have taken - it all ends here!**"

Nyssa shrugs "I promise of death from a man who has sworn to never take a life? How adorable, Bruce. I will tell you how this will go... you and I are going to fight... and we aren't going to stop until one of us is dead! That is the only that I may fully control the shadows!" Bane turns around and drops the barricade down over the door; blocking the entrance and possible exit. Nyssa cracks her knuckles, tilting her head and grinning "If you cannot bring yourself to kill me, both and your butler shall die here today! As well, I will make the death of Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent and even my sister happen, the only to stop me is to indeed kill tonight!"

"**Even after he is long dead, you are still allowing for your father to control you! When will you learn that he never loved you, he never loved Talia - He was a selfish man who threw away all his loved ones just so that he could make me into his successor! Why are you worshipping a man who didn't give a damn about you!**"

"We all come from somewhere, Bruce. And sometimes not everyone understands why some of us are perfectly fine with that, but you and I? It was never about where we came from, it has always been about where we are going!" Nyssa narrows her eyes taking out the sword from behind her back "...And I'm afraid that only one us can make the final journey, shall we?"

"**I'm not going to kill you, Nyssa**" Batman reaffirms.

"We'll see about that. The heat of battle can drive us to do all kinds of drastic things..." she runs forward at Batman who lifts his arms up "And I am feeling really heated!" she swings with her blade. Batman uses his armour hands to block the swing which scratches his armour. Nyssa smirks as she kicks upward, the dark knight brings his hand down and stops the leg's motion. Batman then jolts forward and slams the front of his cowl into the woman's face.

She rubs her hand over her chin "Not bad, not bad at all..."

"**Enough**!..." Batman throws a punch at the dark-hair woman, who grabs his incoming wrist and yanks him towards her. Nyssa then takes another swing at Batman with her blade which cut across his chest, leaving a long fin mark across the bat symbol. Batman rolls onto the ground, grabbing a Batarang from his utility belt. The dark knight lunges forward, grabbing at his cape and using it to knock the woman off balance. He then slides in behind her, quickly jabbing the Batarang into her left shoulder "**...Is...!**"

Nyssa grabs at the bat object stuck in her shoulder, pulling at it. She rams her head backwards and into Batman's nose which made a loud crack noise which was echoed throughout the hall. Batman brings his hand under his nose where two trails of blood drip onto, coming from both of his nostrils. Nyssa then kicks upward, hitting the man in his throat and making his gasp for air, then going for another blow to the man's throat with her hand this time, making the man gasp again.

"Nice toys! You really should keep track of them though!" Nyssa tightens her grip on the Batarang in her hand, slashing it across Batman's throat. The Dark Knight sees her move coming, and catches her hand in his own. He brings his other hand to the woman's wrist, stopping its momentum entirely. Batman kicks up into Nyssa's stomach with his boot; knocking the wind out of her. He rams his head forward and headbutts her, knocking her back.

"**..ENOUGH!..**." Batman then grabs the woman's left arm and throws her over his shoulder into the row of wooden benches; scattering the row as Nyssa has thrown to be sitting in one. She slowly looks up and sees Batman coming closer "**..., NYSSA!**" he lifts up his hand, holding the same Batarang that the woman took before as he aimed at her head. His eyes tremble and his hands shake, unable to take the next step, unable to throw it at her, unable to end her.

He then throws it.

Nyssa's eyes drift to her side, seeing that the Batarang had landed a couple of centimetres away from her head and was stuck in the wood. She lets loose a small series of sombre laughs, lifting her gaze to Batman "... Even when you've won... you can't bring yourself to claim the victory... oh, Bruce... you could have been a true force to be reckoned with, only if... only if... you had the guts to see it through!" she jumps back onto her feet and throws the blade towards Batman.

The Dark Knight's eyes narrow as he brings his arm forward and catches the blade, ramming it down on his knees and breaking it in two. Nyssa charges the vigilante, her target grabs his grappling gun and fires it upward, launched him towards the ceiling. Nyssa's eyes widen as she sees Batman holds out his arms, his cape extends outwards as he descends in front of the angelic statue, landing him on top of the Organ. His cape falls around his shoulders and his eyes glare at Nyssa.

"**What's that you said before, Nyssa? I don't need the first blow, just the last?**" Batman kneels down and presses down on his utility belt. Nyssa's eyes widen in horror as her ears pick up a beeping sound from her back, she slowly pans her head to see a small device stuck to her. The sound of a swarm of wings flapping came from outside, soon surrounded the whole church along with layers of high-pitched screeches as they draw closer and closer, shadows ram against the stained glass windows, pelting against the - cracking them, over and over.

"**Do you know why Ra's chose me over you? He saw your flaws, you are arrogant, unable to accept your own shortcoming! And you never, never learn from your past**" Batman growls "**But for me? My whole life I have been learning, changing who I am and seeing my flaws! I adapt, I learn, I become! I am! Vengeance, I am the knight, I AM BATMAN, THE DARK KNIGHT OF GOTHAM!**" his dark voice booms throughout the room like he was not even human-like he was some unstoppable force. Nyssa's eyes tremble and her body shudders "**I am the one that you cannot escape, the one that you cannot kill... I am...**"

Simultaneously, all the stained glass window shatter as the whirlwind of bats swarm into the hall, the two windows behind Batman break too, engulfing his sides in the wing beasts as they charge towards the dark-haired woman, surrounding her in a hurricane of them. Nyssa screams a deafening rattle as she feels the bats, bite and claw all over her as they attacked without mercy or delay, clawing, biting and tearing chunks out of her. Nyssa falls to her knees, flailing her arms around to force them off of her.

Batman presses his utility belt again, this time it caused the device on Nyssa's back to turn off, dismissing the bats as they one-by-one flock off of Nyssa and swarm around the hall, looking for a way out. Batman slowly rises back up, not taking his eyes off of Nyssa "**It's over, Nyssa**"

Now covered in newly left cuts, scars and scratches all across her face, she looks up to the vigilante "I...I... I just wan-ted to make my father proud... you of all people should... understand..." she weakly says, blood leaking out of her mouth and the cuts across her face "...you should… have... understood..."

"**My father wasn't a monster**" Batman bites back.

"...Neither was mine... to me..."

"BRAVO! BRAVO!" A new voice echoes through the hall. Batman turns his head to his side, seeing a grotesque looking man, with burnt skin pained white, dressed in a green suit and a purple overcoat. Joker grins, looking to Batman with his lips stretching into a grin "What a show! What a show! THERE was action, THERE was emotion, and there was BLOOD!" he laughs, cackling uncontrollably as he turns his sighs to Nyssa "AND YOU! YOU WERE AMAZING TOO! That beating that you took? Beautiful, something just... beautiful"

"**It's you...**" Batman growls, readying to pounce on Joker.

"Bane, if would mind" he waves at the brute. Bane nods, looking down and grabbing Alfred's collar and lifting him up. The dark knight sees Bane's actions, growling at them. Joker's eyes turn to Batman "Hello, Batman... my darling, I missed you... I missed you ever so much... oh... the heartbreak has been... has been unbearable, I just needed... to see you"

"**... Jeremiah... you...**"

"Jeremiah?" Joker looks behind him "I don't see a Jeremiah here, do you? No, oh no sir... there is no Jeremiah here" Joker walks down the sile towards Bane, turning his upper torso towards Batman "...He moved out... he left ever so long ago, there wasn't enough space for us both, oh no there wasn't... only I can have you... only I can..." he flips a handgun around in his yellow gloved hand "You be a good boy and stay up there until I say otherwise Bane will..." he turns around, running his thumb across his throat "...kill your manservant..."

Joker walks past Nyssa who glares up at him "You diseased freak! I'm going to ki-"

"Shut-up, Mommy and Daddy are talking," Joker said nonchalantly, firing into the woman's stomach, sloping her down the floor, gasping and holding her stomach as blood pours out onto the red carpet. She struggles to breathe, her vision was blurred and her chest heaved.

"**NYSSA!**" Batman calls out.

Joker's ear prick at the concern in the man's voice "What is this? Do... do... you feel bad for her? Geez, Batman..., you have a record of caring for woman who beat you up... heh... don't tell me that's another reason behind that leather of yours?" he turns around to face Batman, holding his hand over his heart "...Well then... in the case..." Joker looks down to the wheezing woman, gasping for every bit of air that she could. Her eyes were set on Batman, she lifts her arms up towards him, almost like she was reaching out for him. Joker kneels down and gently strokes Nyssa's hair, patting her like she was some kind of animal.

"Batman? Ever hear about the injured woman lying on this floor who went on to have a happy and fulfilling life?" he looks up to Batman "Yeah... me neither" he giggles unloading his weapon one more time, firing in Nyssa's head, splattering her blood all over Joker's face. He steadily leans into the lifeless body and grins "Oh... that one was... supposed to be the flag, ah - whatever," he jumps to feet, keeping his eyes on the dark knight "I would say that she's in a better place now, but c' mon? We all know that's she going to hell, right? RIGHT?"

"**You killed her...**"

"Did I?" Joker glances down to Nyssa's corpse "Oh... yeah I did, she's like super... super dead" Joker turns his head as he sees Bane approaching him, dragging Alfred across the floor alongside him. Bane throws Alfred across from him onto one of the wooden benches "Ah, Bane? Thanks for being a pal and putting up with that woman for this long, you have proven yourself..."

"I did not betray her for you, I did so for him!" Bane points to Batman "You promised me a fight, and I am here to collect"

"Oh?" Joker shrugs "Whatever he's all yours... I'm going to be over here..." he moves over and sits down beside Alfred who looked at the man in terror "Ah, hiya, old man - how are you fairing these days?" Joker shakes his and turns his head "Nah, I'm just joking. I don't really care about you"

Bane stares at Batman as he cracks his knuckles, then his neck "I have been waiting a long time for this day to come, I was promised a strong opponent and you are the biggest bad in this city..."

"Change of plan, Bats..." Joker leans forward and grins "Bane wants himself a little match, you better give it to him otherwise he will hurt Alfred... and look at him, who would hurt this old fellow?" Joker squeezes Alfred's chin, crinkling his flesh "Look... he is so adorable!"

"**Bane! I thought you were loyal to Nyssa, how could you betray her like that?**"

"I am a soldier, I can only perform to best of my capabilities when I am under the command of a worthy leader, Nyssa as such was no longer that leader. I was given a new purpose, a new mission - a new enemy..." Bane runs towards Batman. The Dark Knight front flips off of the Organ and behind Bane. The vigilante rams his fists into Bane's lower back repeatedly in a cycle, though Bane was not even fazed by his attacks "You are that enemy, and it is my mission to beat you - Nyssa would have interfered with that"

"**So you just stood that and watched her die? WHAT KIND OF SOLDIER IS THAT!**" Batman yells.

"Your spirit is waning, my friend" Bane jabs his elbow behind him; hitting Batman's face "You too exhausted" Bane follows up as he uppercuts Batman, making him spit blood. Batman wheezes, slouching in his stature. He readies his fists, throwing a punch towards Bane who catches it with his hand "Both mentally and physically, my friend you are nearly broken -" the brute bulldozes Batman over with a right hook. Batman was thrown onto the ground, left crawling and gasping.

Alfred's eyes widen "Br-br- ru-ru-run!"

Batman slowly crawls away from Bane, though the titan follows after, one step at a time "We are not finished yet..." Bane kneels down and grabs Batman's shoulders "... Mr Wayne," he rips off Batman's cowl and throws it across the room, leaving Bruce's face out in the open for all of them to see "You, my friend, are not worthy of such a uniform..." he slams Bruce's head down onto the floor; breaking his nose and leaving a river of red to flow from his mouth and nostrils "They say that it is the man who makes the uniform, but the uniform is always designed to stand for something... and you my friend, are a disgrace to it," Bane lifts Bruce's head up again and slams it back down.

"Al - al- alfr-alfr-" Bruce says between tight breaths.

Bane flips Bruce onto his front and punches him across his face, over and over "My friend, may you find the peace in death that you were stripped of in your life...," Bane readies another punch to Bruce's bloodied face. His right eye was bruised and his lip looked swollen. He lifts his hands to struggle against Bane's hold "That's the spirit, my friend - now... rest!"

"3...2..." Joker looks to the watch on his wrist.

Bane's eyes widen as a knife was hurled into his hand. Looking at his side, he sees the Talon leap through one of the windows "Over here! Big guy!" he yells as he hurls another knife towards Bane, who catches it. Bane releases his hold on Bruce and drops him on the ground. Bane slowly stands up and glares.

"You again? You must be a fool to come back for another round" Bane yells as he sees Talon leap towards him. Talon ejects the blades in both of is boots and kicks towards Bane. The brute catches both of Talon's legs with his hands and slams him into the ground and through one of the rows of seats; breaking them into wooden chunks.

"...I mean... you're not wrong..." Talon rolls out of the way and grabs a pair of knives from his back and slashes towards Bane.

"T-t-t-t-" Bruce heaves.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't let you die! I placed one of your own trackers on you!" Talon reinforces his grip of the tilts of his knives and slashes upward at Bane who grabs the man's hands and crushes them. Talon's eyes widen as he hears every bone in his hands break and snap, one by one. Bane throws Talon onto the ground and then reaches inside the pockets of his cargo pants, taking out a syringe and injecting himself with it. The veins in his neck glow bright green and so do his eyes.

"Ah..." Talon breaths heavily as he looks down to his mangled hands "Damn... I can't feel pain, but my pride sure is wounded...that... I can feel" he garbles, seeing Bane impose over him. Bane slowly shakes his head, reaching down to the Talon and lifting him up over his head. Bane hurls Talon up into the air, high enough for him to be thrown against the ceiling. Talon grunts as he plummets down, crashing into rows of seats, cracking most of the bones in his body.

"...Aghhh" Talon tires to lift his arms, but they do not listen to him. He couldn't feel his hands, nor most of his legs "I-I-can't...I can't...feel...anyth-," he sees Bane approach him, his shadow looms over him. Before Bane could take another step, Catwoman leaps onto him from behind, wrapping her arms his neck, clawing at his face. Talon turns his head "...you...t-took...your...t-t-t-ti-"

Bane lifts his arms up to grab Catwoman's shoulders and throws her over his head and onto the ground, she rolls over and slides out of the way. Talia runs in from behind and uses a sword in hand to slice both of Bane's ankles, knocking him forward. Joker jumps up to his feet and laughs "And they saw that church is boring!". Talia kicks Bane's knees, forcing him to drop onto his knees and growl. Her green eyes piece through Bane as she circles in front of him and hold the sword to his chest.

"Yield" Talia orders in a cold tone "Submit and surrender" she repeats. Without her knowledge, Catwoman slowly reaches to the floor for one of the Knives belonging to Talon. Talia curves her blade across Bane's neck "You cannot beat a daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, yield..." she says one more time. Bane's eyes look to her side, gaining her attention as she follows the direction.

"Kill me then, I let your sister die" Bane challenges.

Talia leans closer to Bane "My sister meant nothing to me, I myself came here today to kill her...," she replies with a cold tone "This is where you will-," her eyes widen, feeling a sharp pain in her sides. Talia drops her sword, turning her head to the side of the pain. Catwoman stood holding a knife that had stabbed her in the left of her stomach. She was beyond speechless, beyond words themselves. Talia looks to Selina in confusion and dismay "...Selina...?"

Catwoman's eyes widen "Oh my god... what did...I?" she drops the knife "Talia, I didn't... I didn't..."

Bane jumps back onto his feet and slams his fists into both women, knocking them onto the ground and out for the count. Talia was thrown next to her sister, blood leaking out of stab wound. Talia's eyes flutter and she heaves, feeling the blood clot on her hands "...Forgive me... my love..." she rolls onto her back and holds her wound tight. Catwoman was thrown onto a pile of broken tinted glass, cutting her hands and face. Her eyes trembles as she sees Talia "...how...why did...?" she groans, dropping her head.

"I got to say, Bruce - your girl's a keeper! Both of them!" Joker laughs as he rubs his hands together "This has gone down better than I even could have imagined..."

"All of you are pathetic!" Bane yells, making his way back to Bruce "You are all weak! YOU ARE A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR SOLDIERS!" Eduardo slams his fists together "YOU CAME HERE AS A TEAM, CUT CAN'T EVEN WORK TOGETHER! If you were on a true battlefield, you would have been dead long ago!" Bane stops as he feels something sharp lodged into his back. He turns on his heels and sees the Talon lying on the ground. Bane reaches over his shoulder and pulls out the Knife.

"You.. little..." Bane growls, storming towards the Talon "You won't stay down...," Bane grabs Talon's throat and lifts him up over his head. Talon gaps, struggling against the man's hold. The white orbs on Talon's helmet narrow, "But...I bet that...this will do the trick" Bane stabs Talon with the knife, through his stomach, making him squirm. Blood oozes out of the wound, and onto the floor "Such a waste...," Bane uses his strength to drag the knife upward and cuts through Talon's insides.

"AGHG" Talon throws his head back and screeches "...I...I... don't...wan't..to..d-d-d-..." he drops his head. Bane tilts his head and throws Talon to the ground.

"N-N-N-NO!" Bruce screams as he forced himself back onto his feet, his knees were wobbly and his body felt heavy, it was battle within itself to even move. Bruce's bottom lip was cut and bleeding down his chin. He couldn't even open his right eye and his left was just barely open. His vision was blurred, distorted even. Bane's imposing figure was changed to a simple blurred figure that came closer and closer. He was hunched over, holding his sides and dribbling trails of blood coated saliva.

"This was meant to be between you and me, Batman - they came here and ruined it, thus I had to take them out of the picture" Bane throws a punch towards Bruce. The vigilante lifts his arms up in an attempt to protect his face, but the force of Bane's punch knocked him back down onto the floor "NO! GET UP! I SAID GET BACK UP!," he grabs Bruce's hair and drags him back up to be standing "WE ARE NOT FINISHED!" he delivers another blow across Bruce's face, making him spit blood.

" …s-s-st-s" Bruce couldn't even speak clearly.

"You are the saviour of Gotham?," Bane right hooks the dark knight, and then hits him with his left fist "THEN SAVE IT! Defeat me, my friend," Bane slams both of his elbows down onto Bruce's upper back. He grabs Bruce's neck and rams his head down to Bruce's face. The vigilante couldn't even make a move, his own body was beyond salvage, his arms and legs felt like nothing, he couldn't move them or even realize what they were doing.

"How disappointing... looks like we know which one broke first, my friend - now... this is over!" Bane lifts Bruce over his head with both of his hands upward "You are no more, Batman! Your spirit is shattered and you are..." Bane narrows his eyes as he slams Bruce down onto his knee. The vigilante's eyes widen as he feels his body break, his spine shatters and what little feeling that he had left in his legs vanish - in less than a second. Bruce releases one high-pitched scream, widening his mouth with his blood-stained teeth with blood that leaks out all over his jaw.

Bane drops Bruce onto the ground, stepping over him and looking over to Joker "...broken. Farwell, Batman"

"AH!" Joker jumps on onto his feet and claps "AMAZING! THAT WAS AMAZING! IT REEEEAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY GOT MY BLOOD PUMPING!," he grins "Remember, Bane. You need to follow up on your end of our little deal, remember?"

Bane spits on to the ground "He's all yours, freak. I have no more business here...," he looks to Alfred "What of the old man?"

"Nah... there's really no point in killing him at the point... Batman isn't nearly conscious enough to even see us do it - it will just be waste of a bullet..." Joker steps towards Bruce who was lying on the floor on his back, broken and completely out of it "Let him and the others go, I want something to keep me entertained after this...," he kneels down beside Bruce with a grin "Hiya there, Batman. You, my friend... did exactly what I thought you would throughout this whole ordeal... it... was quite the journey, huh?"

"J-J-Jer-J" Bruce garbles.

"Shhhh" Joker holds his finger to Bruce's lips "Don't say anything, Batman. I can see it all so clearly... in your eyes..., now... let's go on a little trip, shall we?"

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

**\- 11: 49 PM -**

Harvey Dent lies on a bed inside a cell of the G.C.P.D. The left side of his face was bruised and mangled, and the left of his shirt was covered in dry blood. He was still, motionless and seemed to be completely unconscious. Harleen sits beside him, holding his hand in hers and uses a damp cloth to clean off as much of the blood as she could. She rubs the cloth gently across his neck and face, making sure to be extra gentle around the bruises "...Bruce... where are you...," the blonde whispers.

She hears the door to the cell slide open and footsteps approach. Jim Gordon stands behind her with him holding a basket of medical supplies, pain killers, bandages and dressings. His eyes wonder over to the state of Harvey's face "... Harleen... I brought... some... some supplies... that can help..." he places down the basket next to Harleen's feet. Hs slowly rises back up, once again being greeted by the horrific sight of Harvey's face, severely beaten, black and blue all over his left side.

"...Get out..." the blonde hisses.

"Harleen, when I can. I will get Lee over to have a look at him. I'm sorry, but there's nothing that I can say that can-"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Harleen screams at the commissioner "GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Gordon turns his head in shame and heads out, leaving Harleen alone with Harvey. The blonde reaffirms her hand over Harvey, she lowers her head "He was right.. people... they are so cruel... they will do anything to save themselves..." she begins to cry.

Gordon walks out back into the main hall and hears yelling "Suit up!" Waller orders down to all of her men "The escapees are suspected to make their move at any moment! I want men on the rooftops all across the city and I want troops on the ground too! DO NOT leave any part of city unsupervised, this is only chance to stop this whole mess before it can get worse!" the troops on the ground, ready themselves.

They load their weapons and head out of the precinct in one long line "Alpha team, you are to strictly focuses on the listed targets, all other criminals are to be handled by bravo, understood!?"

"This is it! Do not fail me!" Waller yells.

* * *

Joker kneels near the ground as Bruce lies next to him on his front as he looks out towards the city of Gotham "We have the perfect seats for when the fireworks go off! OH...Batman... you are GONNA LOVE IT!" he laughs as he grabs Bruce's hair and pulls at him, lifting his head to look at the city "Do you wanna know how I outwitted you? How I outsmarted and outperformed you...? It was all quite simple really... I myself made the whole thing as if it was just a simple game of chess..."

"A game of strategy, and you wanna know what the best strategy to use is?" Joker flips Bruce over onto his back and then they looked each other in the eyes "... Making your opponent think that you will make one move... when you have a completely different one in mind..." Joker's hand glosses over the bat symbol on the other man's chest "Knightfall? Quite a snazzy name, right? But... I got a little secret for you..." the grotesque man leans closer to Bruce "...It was never about you, Batman. Knightfall isn't the plan itself... it's just the initiation to what is to come next..."

"Knightfall? Knowing that it was about you, must have made you feel guilty? Making you feel responsible for us, right? Oh.. poor Batman. You overworked yourself, made all the wrong decisions. And when you did get close to uncovering it, I set loose my dear brother once again - I knew that you couldn't help but deal with him first, which gave me every bit of time that I needed to finish up things..."

"I'll... st-st-stop you..." slurred Bruce as he glares up at the other man "I'll st-stop you..."

"I'm counting on it" Joker chuckles, looking upward to the sky "That's what we are, Batman and that is what we do. I bring chaos and you fight me with order, our ideologies couldn't be further apart, but I have never felt so close to anyone else but you... that's why I need you, Batman and you need me - tonight is all about us, all about us... you can take the inmates out of Arkham, but you can't take the Arkham out of the inmates..."

"Gotham is a wonderland of lunatics, Batman and us?" Joker turns his head to Bruce "We are the main attractions, we are the stars of the show... Batman and... the Joker..." Joker laughs "...We will go down in history together, we will become a real dynamic duo... "

"J-J-Joker...?" Bruce winces as he is unable to move a single muscle "...It was...you..."

"No, Batman - it was all us..." he looks down to his watch "... And. Here. We. Go!" from afar, Gotham was shaken in an eruption of explosions that go off all at once, all across it's skyline. Joker and Bruce's eyes reflect the raging flames from the distance "Let's watch the world burn together, shall we..."

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!"

* * *

**To Be Continued...**


	23. Absolution

**Please Read.**

**After completing several chapters for the "Season Seven" spinoff, I have felt that it shouldn't have been its own thing. So I hope that you all can understand that those chapters will be reworked into this story and moving forward, all future chapters will be added to this story. Apologies for any inconvenience. **

**Thank you.**

* * *

**Absolution**

* * *

**\- Gotham General Hospital -**

**1 Month After Knightfall **

"Harleen, really I'm fine" Harvey Dent protests, dressed in a white hospital gown. He lies on the bed with bandages wrapped around his face, covering his left side completely. As well his left arm is coated in the same material, along with his lips that are bruised on the left. His left arm was supported in a sling and rests against his chest. His one clear eye was looking to his side and at the woman standing bedside to him "Really, I am feeling a lot better."

"Don't go takin' this the wrong way, but you sure ain't lookin' any better" Harleen stands with her arms folded over "Those bastards beat the ever-loving life outta ya, and Gordon went along with them," she stresses, shuddering as her mind was brought back to that moment. She flutters her eyes and drops her chest, her breaths slow and become more rigid with more weight to them "Harvey... I thought that they were going to kill you... they might have even done so if they weren't stopped by their boss"

"Those people make me sick..." Harvey grits his teeth, being reminded of the events from his own perspective. He flashes back to the strong metallic taste that floods his mouth, the red that poured out of it. The unbearable ringing in his ears and sharp pains in his sides. They all culminated into one experience that fuelled themselves into nightmares, ones that haunts him each and every night. Giving a struggle, he forces himself to sit up.

"Ease up, Harv. You know what Lee said" she scoots closer to Harvey and plants her hands on the man's shoulders and gently pushes him back down "You could very well be still sufferin' from massive trauma, any unnecessary movements are to be avoided"

"I can stand fine" Harvey reminds the blonde "I need some air... being stuck in here all day and night for so long... I think I'm starting to hear voices"

Harleen turns her head towards the windows of the room, seeing the snowfall slowly engulf the city "Eh... unless you have a jacket on you, I ain't takin' ya out there in that weather. At this point, a common cold could be the end for you..." she adjusts her glasses "But I think that there's a nice café down on the bottom floor, well... *nice* as a café can get for one being in a hospital, overpriced and lackin' in options" she shrugs, turning back to Harvey.

Harvey looks to the desk beside him, a bouquet of flowers and a card rests beside it "This from you?"

"Nah, some delivery guy came in with it - I was going to get you somethin' but... eh... I'm barely making by as it is... sorry..." she shyly replies. She sees Harvey pick the card up from the desk. He uses his one free hand to claw at the envelope, trying to make an opening. Harvey slowly over time becomes more and more agitated as his attempts fail, one after another. Seeing the frustration growing on the man's face, Harleen steps forward and eases the envelope out of the man's hold.

"I got it" she chirps, tearing it open with far less concern.

She discards the torn material and throws it into the bin next to the bed. Her blue eyes bloom as they were greeted with the sight of a card that held the image of the Gotham skyline. She opens it and sees a message along with what looked like to be several hundred dollar bills.

_Get Well soon, Harv._

_\- B_

"It's from him, isn't it?" Harvey asks.

"Yeah, looks that way" she hands the card over to the man. Harvey reads the insides and is left speechless.

"Even when he's not here, he's still looking out for me..." Harvey sighs, taking the money out of the card "I feel bad for taking this. I hope that Bruce doesn't think that I'm only friends with him because of his money..." he says sorrowfully.

"You aren't *taking* it, Harv. Bruce is giving it to you... because he cares about you... we both do... I just want to know what the hell could be so important, that he can't even find time to come and visit you - I sure hope that Waller hasn't gotten to him too..."

"Bruce isn't like that, Harleen. He is much stronger with his morals, there is nothing that Waller can do that will make Bruce bow to her... plus... he's here in spirit and that's more than I can ask for..." Dent chuckles lightly with a tint of sadness "... Gordon sold us out to save himself... I can't believe it... now I'm beginning to think that the rumours about him and Galavan are true...," he sees Harleen walks around and sit down on the bed.

"What are we goin' to do, Harv? It's like the whole city has gone crazy..."

"Simple, we need to be better than Waller and better than the criminals that she is trying to capture..." Harvey stiffens "... We need to be able to hold ourselves up and not allow us to fall and make moral compromises. After all, being the lesser of two evil doesn't make us right. We need to be compassionate, patient and able to see reason..."

"We need to be better and uphold the laws that Waller and the criminals are all too willing to ignore and shame... we need to..."

* * *

**Three Months After Knightfall...**

**Present Day**

Overviewing Gotham from afar would have granted you a much different sight a few months back, not one that would flatter the city, but still the overlooking gaze you would give would receive a different skyline, different streets and different people who walk throughout the grounds of the city. The city wasn't perfect back then, not by a long shot. However, compared to what it was now, it was a far better place. Back then, the city itself was full to the brink of men, women and children, but times change... and so do we, sometimes for the better, but other times... for the worse.

Snow pours down onto the dullish skyline and down below onto the streets, like a storm that never quits or shows mercy. Quick flashes of lighting and momentary claps of thunder fill the city's sky, clustering the already damaged grounds of Gotham in their assault. The elements keep their strength up, not faulting or weakening for what felt like hours upon hours, possibly even days. There were breaks between the harsh snowstorms, but the time between them was hours at most and mere minutes if you were unlucky.

The raging storm up high was not the only calamity brewing in Gotham, far, far from it. The rampaging weather that sweeps the city in its gale and force was nothing compared to the dangers of the grounds of the city. The one full roads and sidewalks, the unkept, but welcoming parks used for simple things as picnics and even the buildings across the city which were once used for business were void and emptied of any civilians, as what remained was something else, something far less hopeful and bright.

Down below on the grounds of the city, among the shaking trees torpedoed by the gusts of snow and hurricane-like winds, braving the ice-covered grounds that were slippery and dangerous. The ice blocks the fountains in the parks. Moving down below in the cold, freezing temperature, making any movement around the city was a chore and painful if you were not prepared. The snowstorm had covered most of the city in it, making the roofs of the buildings pure white and the streets white too. The giant ice paths that covered the roads and the walkways were cracked by a large number of boots that run across them, around ten or so.

A small army of men dressed from head to toe in black armour, their chests covered by bulletproof vests. Their helmets black also with a one-way vizor that covered their face. They march through the streets, covered by the white specks that fall down upon them, covering most of them in more of it than their actual uniform. The Checkmate units are equipped with armbands on their left, showcasing a different chess piece in red colour. Most of them had pawns, but the one at the front wore a rook on his arm.

They march further into the blizzard, being attacked from the front by the storm, disrupting their vision and their movement. They still braved on, now slowed but not ready to surrender to the harsh elements. The rook soldier made his way towards one of the abandoned buildings, entering it and taken solace in the cover from the snowstorm. The rest of the pawn soldiers follow suit, entering in a single file line. The Rook takes a radio from his sides and holds it to his mouth.

"Come in, Red Queen. Delta Squad has reached the target's location, proceeding to upper floors, over" Rook heads towards the stairwells, with his men following after. They all carry their weapons ready, using their flashlight to light up the dark floors of the building. The loud sounds of the blizzard from outside vanishes and the units are instead suddenly taken to a new world of pure silences, with only the sounds from their footsteps and breaths becoming the only notable sounds.

"_That's a copy, Delta squad. Proceed with caution, Target is to be considered highly dangerous, permission to kill granted - Red Queen out_" Waller's voice emanates in static through the radio.

Rook and the rest of Delta Squad bust through into the fifth floor, breaking apart from each other to search through the rooms "Roger that, orders confirmed - Rook, Over and Out" he looks ahead, seeing that one of the windows to the floor is broken, leaving it covered in a few inches of snow. The man's eyes wandered over to a pile of broken glass residing on the floor beside the broken windows. He realized that the way that the windows was broken could only mean that something broke into the floor rather than whatever it was breaking out.

One of the pawn soldiers slowly paces through the floor, holding his weapon up high, seemingly oblivious of the two red eyes glowing from above him. Rook's moves his head towards the corner of the room where a pile of shredded clothes were. Rook makes his way towards the pile of clothes, kneeling down and picking them up with his fingerless black gloved hands. He recognizes that what was left of the clothes as a sort of lab coat. He takes the radio out from his sides and holds it to his face "Delta Squad, remain in radio silences - and only breach if you find Target - over"

One of the pawn soldiers jerks in his stature as he sees something move in the corner of his eye. He beckons the others to his side with a hand signal to get their attention. He begins to tip-toe down towards the edge of the room along with several other soldiers "Possible confirmation on the target, awaiting further orders - over -"

_"That's a copy. Proceed with engagement protocols - code red, I repeat, code red, authorization to shoot on sight granted - over-_" Rook replies through the radio.

_"Roger that"_ the pawn soldier confirms.

From the ceiling, a creature lurks. Hidden in the shadows as its red eyes track the mens' every move. Each move they made, every quick jolt and step that they took help fuel its vision of red. The creature only sees red through its eyes with the men flashing white every time they moved. It slowly crawls above towards the group of men. Rook follows after his men, a few metres behind. Each step he took sent a pulse outward which contributed to the creature's vision.

Rook paces forward, not noticing the creature slowly descended down behind him. A bat-themed creature, simply inhuman in nature with dark grey skin and black hair, long claws around five inches long each. Its mouth was full of sharp fangs. Rook pauses his movement as he hears something behind him, a monstrous snarl and beastly growl.

Rook turns on the heel of his boots towards the creature, looking straight up into its red glowing eyes. On instinct, Rook begins to unload his weapon and fires away at the beast. Man-Bat screeches as he whacks Rook away from it and across the room. The creature flaps its wings as it sees several more men run back into the room. Sending out an ear-bleeding screech, Man-Bat uses its wings to knock away the pawns. The creature then uses its claws to impale one of the pawn soldier's stomach which coated the floor beneath him in red drips of blood that form into a small puddle in the snow-covered floor.

Man-Bat flaps its wings and launches itself outside into the blizzard storm of the city. Rook slowly gets back up to his feet, rubbing his shoulder as he looks outward at the fleeting beast which vanishes among the white-tinted outside world. He looks back to the downed soldier, and then back to the city.

_"Red Queen to Rook! What is the situation? Do you have confirmation on target? I ask again, do you have eyes on the target. Respond"_ Waller's voice booms out of the radio.

Rook reaches for his helmet, taking it off and holding it with his left hand while he holds the radio in his right. Jim Gordon continues to look out to the blizzard outside "This is Rook, Target got away, I say again, Target has evaded capture - over -"

"_Goddamn, it_" Waller growls.

"We have a man down, I repeat we have a man down. He is IN need of medical attention, we are returning back to base" Gordon replies.

"_Copy that, Rook. Return to HQ for a briefing for next assignment ASAP_"

* * *

**\- Iceberg Lounge - **

**00: 19**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT THE WEAPONS STASH WAS COMPROMISED!?" Oswald screams as he stomps, flailing his arms in a spasm with a reddened face, he spits with each word he says "You had one job! ONE JOB! HOW THE HELL DO YOU SCREW THAT UP?" he straightens his posture, shaking with rage. Edward Nygma stands next to him, the man in the green suit holds his arms by his sides as he too looks at man standing in front of Oswald.

"It's not my fault, boss! They just blind sighted me and the crew! the man explains in a frantic tone.

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" Oswald holds back a laugh "See... I find it a tad bit funny, that you are still standing right in front of me. Checkmate doesn't leave any person a free man! So there is no way that a buffoon like you got away from them!"

"It-it was-wasn't Checkmate, Mr Cobblepot" the man stutters.

"THEN WHO?" Oswald grins "Batman? News flash" Batman is dead! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD D, E, A, D, DEAD!" he stomps his foot, over and over and he yells. He lifts up a finger "You're lying to me, aren't you?"

"N-n-no, Sir. I would never-"

"Oswald... is now a bad time to bring up that this isn't the first time I've heard about this sorta thing?" Ed interjects.

"What?" Oswald turns to Nygma.

"For a couple of weeks now, I have heard about something similar to this Dumbo's story. A couple of Scarecrow and Bane's men have been taken out by a group of people. Zsasz told me that he even heard that they have also been attacking the Checkmate soldiers" Riddler chimes in.

"Ed.. why is this the first time that I AM HEARING ABOUT THIS?"

"Well... they are just rumours that's all, I didn't consider that such unconfirmed hypotheses would be a wild use of your time" Riddler shrugs.

"WHAT? A WASTED WEAPON STASH SAYS OTHERWISE! Seriously, it would have only taken you like seconds to tell me that!"

"Oswald, remember what the Doctor said" Nygma reminds the shorter man.

"You're right. Deep breaths, deep breaths... deep breaths..." Oswald breaths out "Deep breaths, deep breaths..."

"If I were to put any thought into this, I would say that's it just a bunch of civilians getting desperate for supplies - adding more men to the transport could help ensure that another endeavour won't be compromised like the last one" Ed suggests.

"Or maybe... EVEN MORE OF MY MEN WILL BE CAPTURED!"

"Breathe, Oswald"

"NO!"

Oswald..."

"NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"... Do it..."

"FINE!" Cobblepot takes a gasp of air.

"Better?"

"... Better..."

The man was left feeling unconformable at the two "Hey-uh, I know it's none of my business - but are you two? Are you two... like a thing? Because you sound like an old married couple"

"That's it!" Oswald screams "Cut out his tongue!"

"What?" the man questions as he sees a duo of men approach him, grabbing his shoulders and dragging him out of the room "WAIT! WAIT! I GOT INFORMATION! I GOT INFORMATION!"

"Well then... you can write it down for me... later..." Oswald tilts his head and smirks, turning to face Nygma "I want these instances investigated! No... no one steals from me, NO ONE!"

"I'll look into it..." Ed agrees.

* * *

**\- GCPD -**

**02: 09**

Jim Gordon stands, dressed in his maskless Checkmate uniform alongside the other members of his squad. The seven of them stand in the main hall of the precinct as a woman paces in front of them. She has long black hair loose down to her sides, dressed in a white shirt under a black blazer with a skirt and leggings. The woman was slim in stature and looked to be in her late thirties. Amanda Waller gave a glare towards Jim, one subtle enough for the other members would not pick it up, but still clear enough so Jim would understand her frustration.

"Give me a field report, Rook," Waller asks Jim as she lazily looks through a folder full of files.

"We searched the building as ordered by you, we reached the designated floor and split up to search it. We were expecting a mindless monster as per your intel, however, the target was well above basic intelligence. It was smart to enough to the only attack when I was left alone in the room and to retreat when it was out numbered. We were not prepared for that cognitive capability, as well it injured one of my own men, my concern for his life may have clouded my judgment" Jim calmly recollects the event.

"Oh?" Waller muses "Is that right? Your judgment was clouded,... that you let a dangerous creature such as that escape and probably go off to kill again? Is that what you are honestly telling me?" she lifts an eyebrow and drops the folder onto one of the desks.

"I can confirm that" Gordon replies "I put the lives of my men over that creature's capture"

"Oh... Rook..." Waller holds back a laugh "That's adorable. You are still trying to be a hero in all of this, that is beyond precious"

"With due respect, Waller. I'm not trying to be a hero, just a good person"

"Ouch... I got a feeling that was aimed at me" Amanda scoffs at the man's words "I wasn't ordered to come here on the basis of me being a mother Teresa, I was brought here because I get results and results is what I am going to get" she snaps back "To do your job for you apparently. To contain these sickos that escaped under your watch, to clean up the streets" she makes a play to pick the folder back up.

"Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, Jonathan Crane, Ivy Pepper, Jervis Tetch, Victor Fries, Eduardo Dorrance... Jeremiah Valeska..." Waller glares "... Need I say more? They were all broken out and were given ample time for formulating their plans whilst you sat on your ass and allowed for a vigilante to do your job for you" she approaches Jim "Not to mention that there is Roman Sionis, Sophia Falcone and a whole fluster of criminals loose in the city..."

She grabs' the rook's shoulders "So next time you want to fool yourself into playing *the good guy*, just remember that if you actually did your job correctly, there would be no need for me to be here! So please... live with that guilt, because as you should know... I'm not someone you should be testing, far, far from it..."

"If you want someone who will abandon his team in the name of the mission, I believe that you have put your faith in the wrong guy" Jim tells Waller "I cannot do that, I cannot forsake one's life... even if you think that it is for the greater good - that's not who I am"

"Oh, Rook. My faith is not in you at all, you are put on the front line because of... on the board... I need to keep an eye on all my pieces, even more so that my opponent's pieces"

"Are you sure that's a smart move? I have been troublesome for you lately" replied Jim in a cold tone.

"Take my word for it, Rook. The design of this game makes it that you can't get in my way"

* * *

**\- Checkmate Checkpoint-**

**\- 5th avenue -**

**03: 34**

A blockade surrounds the road in the form of a metal fence covered by spikes that curve around. A group of seven Checkmate Soldiers keep watch, keeping their eyes to the one entrance path. The snow kept up its force, hitting down and covering the soldiers in white. The road was covered in both ice and gravel to alleviate its danger.

There were two other soldiers stood above on the buildings above, carrying rifles with them over their backs as they look down to the ground and the other Checkmate Soldiers.

A shadowed figure, covered by the cloak of the blizzard moves behind one of the snipers. The Checkmate soldier brings the radio tied to his leg out and towards his face "This is cover unit, no unusual activity to report, I repeat, no unusual activity to report - Over-" he looks down and sees one of the soldiers below take hold of their own radio.

_"That's a copy"_

He then turns away and begins to pace around on the rooftop "This whole thing is a mess, why the hell are we even out here? All known civies have been taken into camps and not a single one of those freaks have shown their faces - This whole thing feels like an A.F.W.T"

_"Yeah, I hear you man - it's fricking freezing out here"_

_"Aye-Aye to that one. Why the hell did we have to be stationed here just before a severe winter storm?"_

_"Why did we have to be stationed here at all, is what I wanna know. This whole city stinks"_

_"Keep chatter to a minimum_" the commander on the ground warns.

"...Eh... copy that" the sniper notes, carrying on his pathing on the rooftop as once again a blurred figure rushes behind him. He returns back to his post near the ledge of the building as he looks down to the Checkmate soldiers. He then looks across to the next building over, quickly becoming confused as the soldier who was supposed be on it had somehow vanished. He reaches for his radio, but before he could establish communication with it, a baseball bat swung from behind knocks out his legs which drops him to the snow-covered surface.

His vizor reflects the sight of the baseball bat being swung again, this time it slams down into his helmet; cracking his glass vizor.

"Report in, cover unit, I repeat, report in, cover unit - why have you abandoned your post?" the commander talks into the radio as he sees the rooftops void of the soldiers. He gestures his men's attention with a hand signal. One that was a clear sign that the need for force was required. They all ready their riffles as they aim them up high at the buildings. The commander looks all around up at the rooftops "Come in, patrol. 5th avenue Checkpoint may be compromised, awaiting orders"

From up high, a small mental star-shaped object was thrown down and into the commander's riffle "What the?"

From behind the commander came a whip which was wrapped around his neck. He was thrown to the ground as Catwoman backflips away and towards the other Checkpoint Soldiers, using her claws to cut through the men's uniforms. She kicks up and her heel cracks the helmet of the man stood in front of her. From up high, Talia drops down holding a katana in her left hand and a four mental stars in her right. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit with the bottom half of her face concealed by a long black scarf that was wrapped around her nose.

She swings her blade at one of the soldier's feet, knocking him off balance and onto the ground. She throws her upper torso forward and hurls the metal stars in her hand towards two of the masked men, hitting them in their vizor's which blinded them. She jumps forward, turning on heels and swiping at their feet with her legs which dropped the two men to the ground. Catwoman backflips, grabbing one of the men's neck in her legs and throwing his front and face hard against the Icey grounds which knocked the wind out of him.

Catwoman kneels over the man's back, she looks up and sees Talia had finished with her lot too. Catwoman's ears prick as she hears a click, turning her head, she sees the commander pointing his gun straight at her head "Oh...crap..."

Before the commander had a chance to fire, a wooden bat was whacked across the back of his head, throwing him sideways onto the Icey road. A red boot was pressed against the man's head, Catwoman and Talia look forward towards the perpetrator. A blonde woman with pigtails, each side having the tip being dyed either red or black. Her face was painted white and she wears a split red and black coloured leather jacket zipped up to her upper chest with a black hood lowered and her sleeves rolled up.

With fingerless gloves on, her right being black with a red diamond and her left hand having a red glove with a black diamond. She wears a pair of red and black pants along with a red knee-high boot on her right foot and a black knee-high boot on her left foot. A diamond-shaped belt angled around her waist and she holds her wooden bat over her head with both of her hands. She gives a smile to the two other women. Her top lip was covered by red lipstick and her bottom was covered by black, red eye shadow on her left eye and black eye shadow on her right.

"Nice of you to join us - were you just planning on standing back and letting us deal with this?" Catwoman ascends upward, folding her arms and looking to the woman through her red goggles. Talia walks beside Catwoman as she folds her arms in disproval, she pulls down the scarf covering her mouth.

"If you are really committed to wanting to assist us then I expect you to do your equal share of the work" Talia warns.

The blonde woman rolls her eyes "Chill would ya? I took out the schmuck that was gonna shoot the kitty dead" Harley shrugs, pressing her boot further against the commander's head, crushing his vizor "Now, which one of ya wanna do the dirty work? Cuz I got a real sore spot for these dweebs, I owe 'em big time"

"I can't believe you brought her along" Talia whispers to Catwoman.

"We needed support and she has a grudge against these Checkpoint guys, so I just thought that she could help - plus it could help her sort out those anger issues of hers" Catwoman whispers back. Talia rolls her eyes, turning her head to the other woman.

"For the record, I am fully against this idea"

"Even more reason for me to be for it then" Catwoman looks back to Harley who was humming "Alright, looks like he's all yours. Make him talk... or squirm, whichever. Just get the information out of him"

"Oh, goodie! I love myself a squirmier, I also love a bleeder too! Let's see if I get lucky and win myself both!" Harley grins, her eyes glaring down to the man under her heel.

**10 Minutes Later. **

"STOP! STOP! STOP!" the Checkmate commander yells in agony as he was lying against the metal fence of the checkpoint. Harley is kneeling in front of him with a grin on her face and a crazed look in her eyes. She wraps her fingers around the man's right index finger. The look in her eye accentuates her eyeshadow, both the red and black shades, her grin widens as she flicks her wrist and breaks the man's finger which made him howl out in pain.

"... This lil' piggy had roast beef.." she repeats the motion, this time breaking the man's middle finger which brings the man to bawl "... This lil' piggy had none..." she nudges her hand towards the man's ring finger which held a golden ring on it "You wanna start squawking now or you gonna let me have more fun here? Cuz right now I am having myself a blast..." she inches closer to him, her unnerving derange look that she has in her eyes unsettles the commander even more.

"Fine! What do you want to know!?"

"What do we wanna know? Well... we wanna know... we uh... we uh..." Harley turns to Catwoman "...Eh? What did we wanna know again? I forgot"

"Huh..." Catwoman heaves "... We've been over this. Get them to tell you what they are planning. Is that really that hard to remember?" she calls back to Harley.

"I told you that we shouldn't have brought her with us" Talia reinforces her position "She is clearly undisciplined and does not have nearly the amount of experience that is needed to partake in such an important task. But no... you just had to feel bad for her and go against my warnings," Talia said with a slightly annoyed tone.

"C'mon, she is not that bad..." Catwoman rests her hands on her hips "Sure... she might be lacking in...well... every department but how is she supposed to get the needed experience if we aren't willing to let her learn"

"I guess that you are right, it could be worse..." Talia admits, turning her head to Catwoman "...She could have stabbed me, that would have annoying..."

"Are you still mad about that? I already said that I was sorry, plus thanks to you... I have enough mental training to fight off that bastards' hold on me..."

"From the tone of your voice, it sounds like you think that I am the one being unreasonable here" Talia rolls her eyes and kicks the pile of snow in front of her feet "And yes, I am still mad, still very, very, very mad at you"

"But you still find the need to talk to me" Catwoman muses.

"Not by choice. We are seemingly out of alternatives, besides us working together - We are the only ones left who have a chance at stopping those checkmate soldiers" Talia looks back to Harley who seemed to still be terrorizing the commander "You know that Bruce would never condone such extreme methods of integrations. He would probably break the man's bones just like Harley, but he would have known when to stop - even if it went against the mission"

"Yeah... Harley sure seems to be enjoying herself over there, a little too much. I know that she has hatred for those Checkmate guys, but damn, she's taking a little too far" Catwoman tilts her neck as she too looks back to Harley "... Bruce sure would have a field day of ringing our necks about letting Harley get this extreme"

"Well... good thing that he's not here, hasn't been for the last three months" Talia narrows her eyes "These soldiers have been trained to be able to withstand basic torture methods... getting a little rough is what is needed for us to get what we need. Bruce could never bring himself to do such things, it's a good thing that we're here instead"

"I would have thought that you league of shadows folks were top-notch in the torture department, I'm surprised that you trusted Harley with this one"

"From what I have observed of her, it seems that Harley's methods are far more... what's the word that I'm looking for? Ah... yes... she is simply more... creative"

"...R-right..." Catwoman and Talia walk to Harley, "Has he started talking yet?" Catwoman asks which gave her the attention of the blonde. Harley excitedly nods to confirm the other woman's question. Catwoman and Talia stand beside each other while Harley stands up and joins them "Listen up, we want information and you want to have some of your fingers intact, I believe that we can both work together to come to some sort of compromise" Catwoman curves her upper body down "... This doesn't need to be any more complicated, just tell us what we want to know and we will be on our way"

Harley shrugs "Hold on, let's not get ahead of ourselves here - I think I can break a couple more bones to reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyy get him talkin'"

"Do your worst" the Checkmate Commander coldly replies through his helmet "I'm as good as dead if I talk, so just get it over with"

"Yippee!" Harley claps before reaching behind her back and bringing out the wooden bat "Say 'ello to mah lil' friend... again, I guess...?"

"Holds your horses" Catwoman holds out her arm to block Harley from proceeding "Listen, pal. We want information on Checkmate and your beloved leader: Waller. So I'm going to pretend that I didn't just hear you refute us and thus I will stop her from bashing your skull in... but if you say no again? I'm going to let this hound off of her leash" Catwoman warns with Harley who gives a playful growl and a snap of her jaw. The Commander lowers his head and gently shakes his head.

"You're in way over your head. Waller can't be outwitted or outplayed... she's..." the Commander lifts his head as he hears a beeping noise coming from around his neck "No... No! I didn't talk! I didn't talk! I DIDN'T TAL-" the man screams as his head explodes, hurling red bloodied chunks all around, blood splatters on the three women and their faces. Catwoman and Talia both flinch and immediately go to wipe the blood from their faces while Harley remained calm and not phased.

"Ewwww" Catwoman's vision was impaired by the bloodstains over her goggles "Gross...just... gross"

"I think it got some in my eyes, I think it got some in my eyes" Talia's hands cover her eyes "And in my mouth... yep... definitely in my mouth..."

Harley shrugs, running her tongue over her lips and capturing a small splash of blood "Okay... is it a bad time to point out that if his head hadn't exploded... those calories would have killed him sooner rather than later..."

"A guy's head just exploded, Harley" Catwoman hisses "And our lead is gone, none of the others here would know the information that we needed... great, this whole thing has been one giant waste of time..." her green eyes look over as she sees Talia walk towards the bloodied corpse. Talia kneels down and begins prodding the man's body "Eh... what are you doing, Tal?"

Talia looks at what was left of the man's bloodied neck "His head exploded, but he seemed to be aware that it was about to happen, thus he must have known what caused it - and I want to know what that is... if he had this device then other high ranking Checkmate units would certainly have the same device on them too"

"You sayin' that the schmuck had a ticker on his neck? Talk 'bout goin' out with-a bang" Harley holds the bat over her shoulders "It's kinda funny that it only started goin' off once he actually started talking, eh? What are the chances?"

"I got a feeling that they are higher than we would like to know" Talia's gloved hand reaches down and rips out a small black shard pf metal from the back of the man's neck or whatever was left of it. She holds it in her open palm, looking over it "Waller must have been listening or someone high up in her ranks, whatever this is, it only went off after he began talking about her. It seems that she doesn't want anyone to have any insight on how she thinks, or her opponents more accurately"

"If these *things* are in more of their heads, then that could mean that Waller is forcing them to do her bidding, and with what happened to this guy, I got a feeling that the others aren't exactly swimming in other options" Catwoman holds out her hand "Lucius could give us a good idea on what this *thing* is and how it works. Maybe if we can find a way to naturalize them, we can get those soldiers to turn on Waller"

"It wouldn't hurt to know what exactly that we are dealing with here" Talia agrees as she walks past Catwoman and hands over the device to her "We best head back for the night, there is not much that we can do now, not when we now know that every possible lead that we can get will just be destroyed"

"Yeah... I am slightly tired and in this business… that can end up killing you" Catwoman follows after Talia, reaching behind her back and dropping the device into her backpack "Plus... more of those Checkmate soldiers are bound to come here at any moment and I sure don't want to be around when that happens, especially when we no longer have the element of surprise on our side"

Harley turns back to the slumped over corpse. She kicks the body with her boot several times and spits on the remains "And this little piggy went. *Wee wee wee* all the way home...," she kicks the body one more time, once satisfied she turns and quickly skips after Catwoman and Talia.

* * *

**Metropolis **

**07: 34**

"Morning to all of Gotham, this is Vicky Vale and you are watching the Gazette news network and a very special episode as we are in our studio in Metropolis" A redhaired woman looks into a camera, dressed in a purple dress and heels. She rests her arms in her laps and smiles "With me is a special guest, a person that has made his disdain for these so-called vigilantes well known. That's right, with us today is none other than the infamous Alexander Luthor himself" Vicky introduces Lex as he sits in a chair opposite to her with his legs crossed.

"Please Miss Vale, call me Lex - everyone does"

"Okay, *Lex*, thank you for coming on the show, I know that you are a very busy man"

"Nonsense, I like to take every chance that I can get to greet the American people" Lex smiles into the camera.

"That's good, but I hope that you are aware that I didn't get you on the show just so that you can sweet-talk your way through this interview" Vicky reminds the bald man, lifting an eyebrow and smiling "I have a few hard-hitting questions that the American people would love to have answers to"

"Of course, please go one"

"Lex, you have gone on record of your disapproval of Superman, eventhough he is widely accepted as a hero to the city of Metropolis, can you please tell the audience just what your issues with the Man of Steel are? Does it have anything to do with your alleged underhand criminal dealings?"

"Oh, my. Being as successful as I am, I have made my fair share of enemies and those of which who are driven take me out, by falsifying evidence again me and throwing baseless accusations my way which none have been proven and for a very good reason. I have not broken the law like my detractors like to claim" Lex closes his eyes "No, my *disproval* of Superman is not me critiquing his work because I can clearly see that he has saved a lot of lives and has helped lower collateral damage all throughout Metropolis. What bothers me is what Superman entails for the rest of our country"

"Such as?"

"Well... call me old-fashioned but I remember the good old days where brave men and women had to earn a badge before they could uphold the law and enforce and to be liable if they ever stepped out of line. They make a vow to promote this country's values, but these... vigilantes are doing nothing but undermining those men and women's hard work" Lex leans forward "These vigilantes are clearly operating outside of the law, clear as day and if they were to step out of line or make a poor judgement call? They won't be made liable for that... they don't have the badge, the right to enforce this country's laws, yet they go out in their fancy costumes and beat up criminals with no consequences... how can the American people be okay with that?"

"Maybe the American people find hope in these *vigilantes* and feel much safer knowing that they are around"

"Of course, I am not denying the great work that these outliers have accomplished, they have indeed saved loads of lives and I am forever thankful for that - but they are all hiding behind masks, immature secret identities, their powers to make themselves seem like gods among men, how can that be okay? Like the law doesn't apply to them and they can just go around doing whatever they see fit" Lex adds, "That shouldn't make them exempted from the law that they actively go against, sure you got Superman who has proven to be a great force for good, but of course as one was easily accepted, a whole new batch of these vigilantes have recently surfaced"

"Are you referring to Batman?"

"Yes, him and all the others. Where Superman tries to inspire hope, this Batman relies on fears and mercilessly beats on the mentally unwell people of Gotham... these poor people who have no idea what they are doing or even where they are, yet Batman thinks of himself as an Exile to the law, he justifies his brutal, and outright vicious assaults on these people by hoping for some foolish end goal. That's not the type of person that the kids of this country should be looking up to, not now, not ever"

"I'm not sure if you are aware, but Gotham's crime rate has become so bad, that the government elected to send in an unheard-of taskforce. Are you saying that they are any better than this Batman when there has been footage of them brutally attacking any citizen that refuses to follow their rules?"

"Honestly, if you would have asked me that a couple months ago, my answer would have been different"

"Well, I want to hear your answer as of now" Vicky probes the man's thoughts "You have made your stance of being pro-government widely known throughout your years, has something happened that has changed your mind?"

"These *Checkmate units* are going far beyond extreme force here. I for one am fully aware of the danger of Gotham, but seeing these people just go on in and attack the innocent people really makes me angry, as both some who was in full support of the government and one that despises the use of overly deadly force when unneeded. That is why I have been put in a difficult situation that I am now in..." Lex answers, resting his hands down in his lap.

"Which would be?"

"As much as I dislike this Batman, I feel that I have no other choice but to side with him. One lawbreaker is far more manageable compared to the hundreds that have invaded Gotham. Obviously, I am not condoning his actions either, but I have only the choice to pick the lesser evil in this case... which I know does not make me on the right side"

"If that is the case then do you have a message for Batman? Just in case he happens to be watching"

"Of course" Lex faces the camera and smirks "No matter how black and white you think the world is, just remember that eventually... the only way that you can be on even footing is to wander into a grey area, one where both you and them will be even..."

* * *

**\- Undergrounds -**

"Lex sure knows how to work for a crowd" Sophia Falcone comments as she sits next to Black Mask. She drinks from a wine glass, grinning "If we keep this up, then both Checkmate and those Heroes will not be able to do a thing to stop us..."

"Hubris, Sophia - it has always been your blindsight" Sionis looks across the table to Tony Zucco "We are nearly there my friends, soon what he promised us shall come to pass and we will rule Gotham for the rest of time, now all we need is to await his arrival"

"That is if he is really who he says he is" Tony grumbles "How the hell can we possibly take a guy seriously when he claims to be the oldest man on earth? This whole thing reeks of crazy, and not even the fun kind"

"I too found the man's claims... preposterous at first, but he has proven to be the real deal. He knew about the meteor heading towards this city as we speak, he knows tales from all across the history of the world. This man is the real deal and one that you really don't want to be making light of" Sophia rebuttals the man's words.

"Yeah... well he's not here" Zucco shouts back "In the meantime, we need our own plan with dealing with Checkmate and Waller. Their presence in this city endangers everything that we have been working for, you, Sionis and me... we need to get rid of them now! It's even worse that Waller appears to have the commissioner under her thumb, this can't be allowed to continue"

"It won't" Sophia sighs "Trust me, Gordon may be playing nice as we speak, but eventually he is going to wise up and betray Waller... I speak from experience. I roughly give it another four months at most - that is unless she is using his family as leverage… if that's the case... we could be talking about another seven to nine months of him under her orders"

"Batman hasn't been seen since the night of Knightfall so I doubt that he is going to do anything about Waller, Oswald is too incompetent to do anything that can take her out of the equation and don't get me started on the Joker..." Black Mask reasons.

"Speaking of which, Joker hasn't been spotted since Knightfall too... I hear that he has his own gang with him now, one that doesn't fool around. Joker is a madman, but he also seems to be too smart for his own good. He is probably our best bet in getting rid of Waller... but getting him on our side is going to be a challenge" Zucco turns to Black Mask.

"Not as much as you would think, he is also a man of opportunity… and if one was to... let's say... present itself to him... well... he would have to be a fool to not take it" Black Mask replies to the other man "As Lex said. This is now a black and white world... and we are heading towards one large grey area... I say we make the most of it"

"Music to my ears" Sophia takes another sip from her glass "But there is one more thing that you should know. Our friend? He's already here... apparently he has a knack for playing *the long game*. And if anyone is going to be good at it, it will be him"

* * *

**\- Wayne Tower -**

**\- R&D -**

Selina and Lucius stand beside each other as the man looks through the lens of a microscope with the broken chip below. Lucius adjusts the dial to zoom in and get a closer look "This circuitry... it's not like anything that I have seen before, Selina. This is beyond anything that I have seen before and that's saying a lot" Lucius tells Selina as his eyes were turned towards a laptop beside them with a close-up of the chip "This is only part of the device, the rest must have blown up along with the man's head..."

"Could have figured that one out, I spent an hour last night in the shower trying to get the blood off of me and in cold water too... thanks to Harley..." Selina paces around with her arms crossed "Do you think that there is a way to make some sort of counter-device or signal to stop those things from working? With these things all-around in those soldier's heads, trying to get intel is going to be a pain in the ass"

"Nice to know what your priorities are straight" Lucius moves his hand over to the laptop and zooms in further "This is... going to take time, and I mean time. A few days aren't going to be enough to cut it here, plus with all my responsibilities to this enterprise now that Bruce is... well... not able to fulfil his obligations, Alfred and I have been working double time. I'm afraid that this project could take months to make something that can stop these... implants"

"I don't think that we even have that long..." Selina settles down back next to Lucius "... Have you heard from Bruce lately?"

"Uh...yeah" Lucius confirms "... He's-uh... he's making a quick recovery, he should be back out on patrol soon" he says with a disheartened tone.

"You're lying to me, aren't you?" Selina asks nervously, already knowing the answer for herself.

"... It's not good... he's not good" the man reveals with drawn-out breaths "After Lee helped with his surgery, she said that he would need months... probably years of rehabilitation to learn to walk again, but... Alfred and I think that his back wasn't the only that was broken..."

"How bad is he?" Selina turns to Lucius "Please... tell me..."

"Bad, Selina. He's... not even Alfred is sure anymore"

"Oh..." Selina lowers her head "The last time was talked, we... we argued... I betrayed him... I hurt him... and now... he doesn't even want to see me or anyone else. And honestly... I can't even blame him for that, I can't blame him for not wanting to see us"

"A number of us tried, me, Alfred... Lee. I tried getting Superman to try, but the government had made it impossible for him to even come into this city's boundaries" Lucius looks to the dark-haired woman "I know that you and he aren't on the best terms, but right now... I think that you are the only one who can get through to him..."

"I can't, Lucius. I can't face him after what happened between us... I just can't"

"The only other option is Talia, but Bruce is even more angry with her. Maybe Harleen, but we can't risk her discovering that he's Batman. Or him learning that... you have been taking her with you on life-threatening missions. Shame too, especially with her being a psychologist, Bruce could really use her experience" Lucius replies.

"We can't risk Dent figuring out either, and Gordon? Yeah... I'm not letting him near Bruce not after he let those bastards attack Harvey. We already took a big risk with letting Lee know about Bruce, luckily for us, she is trustworthy enough to keep Bruce's secret under wraps. We can't take that chance with anyone else... this whole thing is screwed up" she leans against the table behind her "Damn, I really didn't give Bruce enough credit when it came to protecting this city... all the sleepless nights sure do like to stack... I only got a couple hours sleep last night..."

"Well, in that case, you need to go and rest. You are not trained well enough to cope with such strain in your body, not like Bruce is. With both Talia and Harleen working with you, you are going to be in your prime to keep things on the down-low, considering how dangerous Talia can be and how... unpredictable that Harleen can be. You are going to need to be with them and keep them grounded, Bruce wouldn't want you and the others to be too extreme when it comes to stopping these Soldiers" Lucius advises Selina.

"Doing things his way is what made things get this bad, Lucius. I promised that I'm not going to kill, but unlike Bruce - when it comes to the safety of my city... I'm not going to be lenient. If I need to make someone talk... the others and I will do whatever it takes, they need to know that we are not going to go easy as Batman did"

Lucius nods "... Bruce would never approve of this, Selina"

"The world isn't black and white, there are always grey areas and to win this war... we can't always be scared to do what is needed. Bruce was fighting his own war, but us? We are the ones fighting off the invasion" Selina jumps forward and slides her hands in the pockets of her jackets "If Bruce really cared for this city, he would be here - doing whatever he can to save it... but we are on our own" she walks forward "Remember, he gave up on us before we gave up on him..."


	24. Broken

**Broken **

* * *

**1 Week Later**

**Metropolis **

The bright City of Metropolis blooms with life as the streets crowded with cars and the walkways with people. The sky was blue and without a single cloud. The sun shines bright above the city, hueing everything in a yellow tint. From the cars driving through the streets was a black limo. Inside sat none other than Lex Luthor. Dressed in a white shirt and black tie. In the driver seat sat a brown-haired woman who drives the limo. Lex held up a large screen that showed Black Mask on the other end.

"Your persistent talent of manipulating the people never ceases to amaze me, Lex" Black Mask compliments. "You nearly even had me fooled there for a moment, but I trust that you are all for seeing the plan to completion. When signing onto this, we were all aware of the trouble that it could cause... and those who would come to stop us. I, Sophia and Zucco have all done our parts in the meantime, so tell me... how is it going on your end?"

"I got you the black meteor rock, right? If there is a single person that you can trust to keep up their end of their barging… it is me. Waller and her men have no idea just what they are about to be dealing with, but they will soon realize the trouble that they have gotten themselves into..." Lex replies in a calculating manner "Publicly speaking out against Waller will get me on her hit list, thus it is best that I do not step foot in Gotham for the meantime as her authorities only apply to there, but that may be only a temporal solution for now"

"You scared, Lex?" Black Mask asks amused.

"Not at all, Sionis. I am just familiar with how these power fantasies play out. Waller has just got the government to sign off on her taking Gotham into martial law, that amount of power is bound to grow and her thirst for more control is only going to increase, she will want to have control over more cities... even Metropolis if she isn't kept in check" Lex explains.

"That could be troublesome. Especially since our plan is still nearly a year away from completion. I doubt that we can have Waller thrown out of power but we need to find a way to stop both her and Checkmate from making too much of a result, if she performs highly and takes out a crime as she says... the Government will have seemingly infallible faith in her. We need to find a way to put her at a disadvantage" Black Mask coldly replies, slightly annoyed in his tone.

Lex straightens his tie "I have the perfect idea for that. The government must have put a lot of money into this operation of Waller's... if they begin to believe that she just simply is not worth that amount... they are bound to throw her to the curve, after all... no one understands business as well as I do..."

"What do you have planned?"

"Oh... my plan is already in motion. Apologies but I must go" Lex ends of the call and places the tablet onto his lap "Mercy, please see to it that all my prior engagements for the day are cancelled… I have other business that I must attend"

"Yes, Mr Luthor" the brunette replies, not taking her eyes from the road.

"You've made your moves Waller... not let's see if you can handle ours..."

* * *

**Gotham City**

**Wayne Enterprise Tower **

**14: 34 **

Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul and Harleen Quinzel all sit around a large refectory table in the board room with Lucius Fox sitting at the front of it. Selina was leaning back with her head resting against the back of her chair. Talia was leaning forward with her arms resting over the table and Harleen was in the middle of the other two's postures. Though she was leaning towards the table, she rests her head over her arm which was placed against the table by her elbow.

The blonde also had her legs crossed and was using her other hand to tap against the table "So ya wanna try runnin' that pass me again? I ain't quite followin'"

Lucius in small detail grits his teeth "Alright... alright. From what little time that I have had from examining that chip given to me by Selina. I cannot compare it to any other currently existing technology... well that I am aware of at the moment. It's made of a compound that none of my systems can recognize and as for the wiring... that part gets even more complex"

Talia urged herself to hold back a grin "... So you want us to believe that there is somehow an element that Waller is using, an element that is presumed to be in the heads of every one of her agents, an element that you say that you cannot identify... how can that be possible? Wayne Enterprise should not be in the dark about any earthly element"

"That's what I'm sayin'. This whole thin' is bonkers" Harleen replies.

"Lucius usually knows what he's talking about. Listening to him is likely our best bet and finding out what's going on" Selina tiredly expresses her concern "If we can find out what these things are... maybe we can use that information against Waller. I doubt the Government wants the people learning about how Waller is shoving these things in the back of her men's heads"

"Or we can use that information to make all of those Checkmate guys' heads go kablooey" the blonde shrugs as she sees the other two women and Lucius glaring at her. She leans back and laughs nervously "A gal can dream, can't she?"

Lucius clears his throat to get the three women's attention back to him "As previously stated. I cannot begin to imagine just what this technology is... I took hours upon hours... but... nothing. It has some similarities to current tech, but nothing more than a fundamental level"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Selina ponders.

Talia straightens her posture "I think what Lucius is trying to say is that the technology in those chips is far more advanced than any other piece of technology to date. They are almost... alien in nature"

"Exactly" Lucius confirms.

"Alien?" Harley lifts an eyebrow "We talkin' large metal men or small freaky freaks with a glowin' finger?"

"What?" Selina asks confused.

"Eh... nothin'" Harley sighs kicking her chair back away from the table "This whole thing has been one constant pain in the ass. Surely there has to be some other hero that we can call in to deal with this crap. Superman maybe? That emerald archer? That guy with the flashy ring? There has to be someone to help... because ma feet are killin' me, I am tired as hell and I am slowly being driven crazy by this whole shitshow" the blonde spins in her chair, kicking at the ground to keep up her momentum.

"Alright, first I think it's Green Arrow and second, Waller made it clear that no Vigilantes are allowed in this city or risk being listed as a public enemy and I doubt that Superman or the others want that on them" Selina counters as she leans forward "No one is allowed in or out of this city, it's just us"

"Sucks that Batman just went missin' on us. We coulda really used him right 'bout now" Harley sighs.

Selina and Harley both turn to see Talia stand up. The standing woman was clearly frustrated and annoyed "Let's face it. Without knowing what the chips are or how they work. Any further attempts to gather information will only be met with the same result as before and since we don't have... have..." Talia looks away from the other three "I don't think that Gotham has any of its heroes left. Batman is gone, Bruce Wayne has given up on this city and the possible political allies such as Dent is mentally scared... let's face it, we have nothing There's not a single thing that we have to put us on equal footing with Waller"

"No need to be so pessimistic, love. I'm sure that we'll think of somethin'... we have to, right...?" Harley conflictedly speaks.

Selina closes her eyes "Right at the moment, I think she's being more realistic than pessimistic. Gordon is Waller's little boy toy, Dent will most likely get himself killed if he publicly comes out against Waller and Bruce? If he wanted to be here... he would be..." she looks over to Lucius "The three people who promised to keep Gotham safe can't even bring themselves to fulfil their promise... damn it..." Selina curses as scrunches her hand into a fist "I hate it, I hate him... for putting me in this situation... he's making it so that I have to be the one to do it, to take on all the pressure... all the danger... I hate him for that..."

"Who are we even kiddin' gals?" Harley slumps back in her chair "What can we even do against them? Us three... and a science man against a whole secret organization? Yeah... I really shoulda seen this one comin' a mile away... this is a lot harder than it is made out to be..."

Talia rolls her eyes "You best prepare yourselves. The battle that's coming? It will only become harder for us. This is one battle that cannot be won simply by battle, this is a war of minds, a war where only one side can win... where only one side can survive. And for now... I'm afraid that we are on our own for now..."

* * *

**Wayne Manner**

Leslie Tompkins stands at the front door, knocking on it. She stands in silence as she hears footsteps steadily approaching from the other side. Her ears pick up the sounds of locks being unlocked and released, eventually, the door was pulled back as she was met with the sight of a familiar face. Alfred stood in front of her, bruised with his hands still covered by bandages. The snow had softened through the days, but it still faintly drops down from the sky, covering her in it.

"Where is he?" Lee asks in a mild cold tone of voice as she looks directly into Alfred's eyes.

"Eh-right this way" he gestures her inside and closes the door behind her "He's where he has been since we first enlisted your help" he goes to lead her but Lee breaks free of his charge and makes her way to her location which left Alfred behind and trying to close the gap between them.

She heads up into the Manner and towards her destination. A dimly lit room with the only source of light coming from the dull sky outside. She creaks open the door and sees the back of a man sitting down in a wheelchair, barely looking to be breathing and not even making the slightest form of movement.

Building up the needed courage, Lee enters the room with Alfred not far behind. She throws her bags and coat onto the king-sized bed beside her. She was dressed in long purple dresses and tights with heels as she circles around to the man "How are you feeling today, Bruce? I hope that you are more with me than last time..." she tries to get his attention but her voice barely even stirred a slight reaction out of him. Lee kneels down in front of Bruce, seeing his blank expression, one that worried and scared her all at the same time.

"Bruce, can you hear me?" Lee asks the man as she leans over and grabs her bag from the bed, taking out a small pen-shaped object and holds it in line with the man's eyes "Okay, if you can hear me. I need you to follow this light, alright?" she asks calmly as she shines a light across his face, steadily moving it away from his line of view. The man's eyes follow it's direction exactly although slightly delayed. Lee nods, happy with the result "You seem to be alright in the cognitive aspects... now let's try..."

She takes out a stethoscope from her bag and plugs it into her ear, pressing the end against Bruce's chest. She waits in silence for almost a minute, not taking her eyes away from the man's "Seem healthy enough, not exactly 53 per minute... not too shabby for someone being stuck unable to walk properly for the last few months... I would say... that's it's unheard of" Lee removes the stethoscope and returns it to her bag "You want to say something, Bruce? Anything?"

Bruce closes his eyes "What can I say that I haven't said before? I already told you that I never wanted to get you involved in this... I know that having to lie to Jim must be hurting you a lot"

"Actually, keeping this from Jim has been a lot easier than I thought" Lee stands up "Plus... telling him that his friend has secretly been running around as a vigilante might put a dampener on your relationship. Seriously Bruce, what the hell were you thinking?"

"You keep asking that every time you come for my check-up, and I always give you the same answer. Are you expecting me to give you another answer?"

"A more reasonable one, yes" she holds out her hand to him "I'm hoping that your time here and given you enough time to reflect on your choices"

"It has" Bruce grabs the woman's hand as she pulls him up.

Bruce's winces in pain and closes his eyes as he is dragged onto his feet "This is what happens when you try to be a hero and take on these maniacs without help... Jim sure as hell gotten himself into all kinds of trouble, but you? The criminals and the G.C.P.D all have it out for you... you are top dog on Waller's hit list" she grabs a wooden cane from the bed and hands it to Bruce.

He takes hold of it and uses it to support his weight, wincing and gritting his teeth as he takes a single step "So I've heard..." he drops down onto his knees as he heaves heavily breaths, sweating from his face and gasping "...Agh…"

"Have you been doing the exercises that I advised you to do? They are a key factor to your rehabilitation to walk again... that surgery that I did will only go far... it is up to you to learn the basics again, that's the only way that you will be able to get back onto your feet again, Bruce..." Lee folds her arms as she looks down on Bruce "It's been over three months of your recovery and you have barely made any improvements, you aren't even able to push yourself to make more than one step... it's like you don't even want to return to what you were?"

"Wait... I... just... need... some... more... time..." Bruce staggers as he attempts to use the cane to lift himself up, but every time he made progress was forced right back down onto his knees, grunting in pain each time he falls "... I... can... I... have... to" he heaves.

"Bruce... this sort of thing can take months... even years in worst-case scenarios. No matter how much you want it, no matter how hard you try... sometimes your mind and body won't agree with each other. You need to learn that you are not some unstoppable force... you are just man... you spent this whole time with the city scared of you, that you actually began to believe your own legend... this... this isn't healthy, Bruce" Lee turns to face Alfred "We need to talk"

"No!... I can...I can..." Bruce pushes himself up with the support of his cane, but falls once again to his knees and then on the ground as he lies on his front. His eyes widen as he screams in agony feeling something inside him fracture. Tears drip from his eyes as he hyperventilates "I... I have to... I have to..." he screams again as he then uses his hands to push himself up, but he couldn't do it. He didn't have the strength or maybe his mind didn't want to obey him.

"Master Bruce, bloody hell!" he hurries to Bruce's sides and goes to pick him up. Bruce swipes the older man's hands away as he growls.

"I CAN DO IT!" he yells, spitting hard with his words "... I can do it... I can do it..." he cries.

**An Hour Later**

Lee and Alfred both stand in the living room of Wayne Manner. The man stands in front of the fireplace as the flames warm him from the front whilst Lee stands near the windows of the room with the snowfall icing over the windows "He's bad, Alfred. He's one of the most extreme cases that I have ever seen" Lee informs the man.

"I am bloody well aware of that Miss Tompkins... I have to live with that fact that my boy is up there suffering and unable to overcome his trauma, this whole thing has been a nightmare"

"His injuries are bad, but I'm not talking about them... It's more of his mental state that I am concerned about" Lee explains in a worried tone of voice. Alfred slowly turns his head toward Lee. The flames from the fire lighting up the room in a warm orange tint and warmth. With the crackling that it made filling the silence "The traumatic experience of losing his parents must have cut deeper than I thought. Bruce has been... running around dressed as a bat, beating down individuals that might be just as disturbed as him"

"You calling my boy crazy, Miss Tompkins?"

"I can't think of a more accurate terminology. You have to see the mental trauma that it takes to do what Bruce did. He was way out of line, he operated well outside the law and did things that I am truly disgusted about. Seeing him up there now, the broken state that he's in...? What else am I supposed to think?"

"I sure as hell wasn't bloody happy with what he was doing, but he had shown me that he can be trusted to make important calls for the city. I am well aware that what Bruce was doing was beyond any kind of common sense, but he believed in what he was doing and I believed in him" Alfred admits.

"And he's upstairs unable to move or walk. I hope that your faith in him has yielded the results that you wanted"

"What do you say I do then? In case you haven't noticed, Gotham is a bloody mess with your pristine husband leading the charge for those checkmate bastards. Right now, Gotham needs Batman more than ever, no matter how much we both truly detest Bruce's nightly activities... it would be naive to say that he hasn't made an impact in Gotham. He is making a difference..."

"Yeah, he spreads fear throughout this city for both crooks and good people alike. Justifying his acts of violence and blatant disregard for the law behind a mask and cape, idolizing himself as some kind of guardian? He acts just as much as a criminal as all the rest, even if he is helping out, that doesn't mean that he should get a pass and be exempt from the law" Lee retorts with a subtle hiss to her voice.

Alfred turns around to face Lee "But you know, for now, you are going to need to give him one. Gotham is going to need all of its heroes and since Gordon is now playing for the enemy team, I say that Batman is needed to lead the charge against Waller and her men"

"I want Waller out of the city just as much as you but Bruce is far from being ready mentally to take back such a role. He almost died because of his crusade, next time he might not be so lucky. Next time he could die. Bruce needs help mentally, Alfred. I have done all that I can for him now but Bruce needs help mentally"

"You sayin' that I take him to a shrink or something? How the bloody hell can I do that without finding a convincing way to explain his injuries?"

"Last time I checked, one of Bruce's friends of a psychiatrist. Maybe you can tell her about Bruce's hidden life, if she is as much as Bruce's friend as she is Harvey's... then Bruce will be in good hands" Lee advises the older man with a reassuring smile "... Bruce needs this and you know it. Because if his mind keeps going untreated, it doesn't matter how much his back heals. It doesn't matter how many months or years pass by. If he can't overcome his trauma... he will never be able to walk again"

"Telling you about Bruce was already enough of a risk. I had no choice since Bruce was basically dying and you were the only person with the medical degree that I could trust. No doubt that Waller wouldn't waste the opportunity to come for Bruce if she ever learned of his secrets"

"Does Selina know?" Lee asks.

Alfred pauses for a moment as he rehears Lee's words over and over "That is not for me to disclose. What choices that Master Bruce makes is his decision. This isn't about whole else does and doesn't know, right now this is about you knowing about Bruce and what you will do with that information. I know you well enough to be there for him... even if you don't approve of it"

* * *

**Iceberg Lounge**

Oswald Cobblepot and Edward Nygma stand beside each other in front of a wooden table. "As per request, I had a look over those reports of a third player in this game" Ed tells the other man as he rolls out a set of blueprints over the table "I had Zsasz ask around too, he got Firefly and Bane's men to squeal... after some rough... negotiating that is"

"And? WHAT DID YOU FIND? Just get to the point ALREADY!" Penguin yells in a mild-volume voice impatiently.

"Ah... glad that you asked, Oswald"

"DID you just THINK that I WOULD JUST NOT ask? Of COURSE, I was going to DO that!"

"Well... you got a point, Oswald, never the less I suggest that you look at this..." Riddler taps his gloved hand over schematics of a Checkmate Checkpoint "Electric fence, check. Heavily armed guards on the ground, check. Snipers on the roof, check. Checkmate didn't save any expense when designing these things they are like a mini fortress... even if you got past the snipers and were wearing bullet-proof armour... the Checkmate Soldiers are heavily trained... taking them on in a fight would be non-practical at best"

"And...? How does this relate to my weapons stash being taken out?"

"Something in common we share, though maybe one thing we are still bonded, what am I?" Ed grins smugly.

"... I don't know! JUST TELL ME!" Oswald slams his hands down on the desk.

"I am a connection" Riddler rolls his eyes "A connection between this Checkpoint and your weapons stash... most likely they were both taken out by the same people"

"Are you saying that it really wasn't Checkmate that was screwing with me?" Oswald shrugs "How 'bout that... how did come up with that?"

"Quite obviously when going over the specifics. See your weapons stash was carrying all kinds of weapons, a high number. Easily hundreds, right? If it was the rival gangs, then they would have already used that massive boost in firepower to take over more territory for themselves, but things have roughly remained calm... well calm for this city anyways. It couldn't have been Checkmate either, Waller would have used it has a way to gather up support for herself and Checkmate. As well Checkmate would have used deadly force against your men and they were all left alive... though unconscious" Riddler explains.

"I think that I'm following, Ed"

"As for the Checkpoint. Once again, it couldn't have been any of the gangs since most of the Checkmate soldiers were left alive"

"Most?" Oswald asks.

"Yeah, one got it really nasty. One got their head exploded though... from the position of his grey matter… it would suggest that the explosion came from inside his own head. Our men managed to get to the site before more Checkmate units could get there and they brought the body back here... looks like something was ripped out from whatever was left of his neck, some of it is still lodged in tight. I'll need some more time to fully examine it, especially since I could be working with less than one-tenth of the thing"

"Yikes... eh... well if it wasn't Checkpoint or the other gangs... WHO THE HELL IS SCREWING WITH ME!? And don't you DARE SAY... Batman"

"I got some good news and then... some not so good news..." Riddler turns his head towards Penguin "The Checkpoint was taken out very... how should I say? It was just not simply up to Batman's skill? The units had their weapons drawn and were spaced out over on the ground as well the snipers above had their helmets smashed in... some others even had claw marks and some had metal stars in them. Batman was never seen using those methods so I am under the dialectic that this was not done by Batman but by three other individuals... three skilled people, yes but still vastly inferior to the Dark Knight"

"So there is now a ragtag group fighting against us and Checkmate at the same time?" Oswald shudders.

"That is what my hypotheses suggest, yes" Riddler replies snappy.

Oswald's face slowly begins to redden as he fumes "WHO THE HELL WOULD BE CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO THAT!?"

* * *

**The Narrows **

Harleen, dressed in a red dress and stockings walls through a rundown hallway of an apartment complex with a paper bag of grocery's that she holds against her chest with her left arm. The blonde spins a set of keys around her index finger as she approaches one of the doors. The number 66 was carved in the door in a sickly golden color. Harleen unlocks the door and enters the apartment, sliding her back backwards to slam the door shut. She twists the key back into the lock, this time locking it.

"I'm back! Harvey?" the blonde calls out to let her presence be known.

She walks through the small living room with no one in sight. She walks across the diamond pattern rug and into the kitchen as she places the bag down on the counter. Her ears pick up nothing but the static coming from the television in the other room "I got good news! I scored some good pain killers for ya! They should help ya take a load off" she pulls out a grey rectangular-shaped box from the bag and drops it onto the table "Sorry I took so long, I got called into a meetin'! Ya know how they usually go, hours upon hours of yappin' but nothin' ever seems to get 'emselves sorted out!"

Harleen takes out a carton of milk and places down on the counter "Ya here or what? If I'm goin' to keep talkin' to myself I might go even crazier... a lot more" Harleen walks out of the kitchen and into one of the bedrooms, creaking open the door a to a fully dark room with the windows begin covered by a set of blinds. Her blue eyes scan the room as best as they could with the absence of light making it far more difficult. Her eyes soon land upon a blackened silhouette sitting over the edge of the bed facing away from her.

"There ya are... ya 'ad me worried for a moment" she enters the room and walks towards the man "I know it's a lil' early but if ya hungry, I could whip ya up somethin' though I'm not gonna lie, my cookin' skills are far less than desirable... a long time ago when I was back home I always had my sister to help out with that sorta thing..." Harleen walks around the side of the bed and sees Harvey Dent staring at the blinds covered window with a blank expression "... Once she left to come here... I uh... I had to learn to take care of myself... I'm no elite chief... but I got myself by..."

"No thank you, Harley. I'm not hungry" Harvey replies. The left side of his face was still concealed by bandages.

"Ya really want to try that one? Ya weren't hungry yesterday or the day before... but I still got ya to chew down on some chow - I get that ya are sad and all but sittin' around in the dark and broodin' sure ain't goin' to suddenly fill ya with the warm and fuzzies" the blonde reaches down towards Harvey "Ya just need to get some time out in the s-," she stops as the man's hand jolts up and grabs her wrist.

"I SAID THAT I WASN'T HUNGRY!" Harvey growls, his right eye suddenly narrows to a more aggressive look.

"Sheesh, forget that I asked" Harleen yanks her hand away.

The aggressive expression in Harvey's face slowly fades until he wore his casual expression. He flutters his eye "I-Uh- I'm sorry, Harley... I don't know what came over me..." Dent's voice was filled with shame and shock at his own actions. He nervously scoots away from the blonde and fidgets his hands in each other "Sorry, sorry... I don't... I can't think clearly lately... my head is hurting... like I'm not the only one using my mind...My brain hurts... it's like I have two different voices trying to be louder than the other..."

"I know, Harv… the traumatic experience with those bastards musta trigged your bipolar to act up, beforehand ya had quite a good handle on it - but with the stress that ya have been goin' under... it isn't hard to image that your mental state hasn't come out untouched" she settles down on the edge of the bed slightly away from the man "Do ya wanna talk 'bout it? I'm here for ya... either if ya want me to listen or just be here for ya"

"I'm not crazy, Harley" Harvey quietly mumbles under his breath, repeating his words again but this time was loud enough for the blonde to hear. Dent looks down to his left hand, his open palm "I'm not crazy... I'm not. I just don't know what to do... I don't even know if I can even do anything to help..."

"I know how ya feel. This whole city has gone nuts, just trying to make sense of it is givin' me a headache"

"It's been over three months and things have only gotten worse... way worse. Gordon is on Waller's side, Bruce is MIA and I'm just sitting here all day in the dark like a coward..." Harvey says agitated "The three of us made a promise to keep Gotham safe, to.. improve it, give hope to it... but look at us now... Jim, Bruce and I are just shadows of our former selves... and worst of all... Batman is missing too, the one guy who has a chance at stopping Waller is nowhere to be found..."

"Ya can't go losing your hope yet, just see... I'm sure that we can think of somethin'..." the blonde caringly replies to Harvey "I got a small feelin' that there are people out there tryin' to make a difference all on their own, just wait and see... ya will be surprised just how many people are fighting' for this city..."

"Fighting for this city, eh? Don't make me laugh... every time people have fought for this city, it has gone downhill. At the moment the only difference between these people is their reason for fighting... and not their actions... not how far that they are going to go nor what they will never bring themselves to do... what's the point of us taking the city back... if we just do the same vile actions that we curse Waller for..." Dent gave a small chuckle "I want to hurt them, Harley... I want to punish those bastards who did this to me..." his hand slowly slivers over the bandages wrapped around his face "... I want to hurt them... so badly..."

"You're angry and rightfully so... those schmucks did a number on you... wanting payback is only natural, bein' angry is perfectly normal"

"Not the rage that I'm feeling right now..." Harvey's teeth grind "... I'm split here. I want to see them face justice... do have their day in court... but if... if it's anything like the G.C.P.D... those sons of bitches will be let off the hook... they will be let off the hook and won't learn... that's why another part of me... wants them... wants them... punished, hurt and humiliated just like they did to me..." his right eye twitches "... these feelings they fell so... wrong... but also so... so... justified..."

"Right..." Harley replies, unsure of what to make of the man's newfound composure "Listen, Harvey. With Bruce out of the picture for the meantime... ya and I are gonna need to stick together and if we are gonna do that. I need you to listen and adhere to my advice, trust me... I have the training to help ya..."

"I know, I know... I'm so sorry for how I've been acting... I don't mean to cause you any stress... I well... I don't know what I'm going through... my head is storming with all kinds of words, yet I cannot bring myself to describe the pain..." Harvey covers his face with his palms "Can you get me one of those painkillers, please? My head is racing..."

Harley rolls her eyes aware of the man "I'm startin' to think that might not be such a good idea. Considering the mental strain that you sufferin' from... taking any type of drug could end up doing far more damage than good for ya" she slowly stands back up, intertwining her hands "I hate to see ya suffer but right now... I'm not gonna lie to ya. You are in quite a volatile state right now... and we can't risk giving you anything that you could... well... set you... off"

"Do you think that I am a danger to you...? Please... you need to believe me... I would never hurt you... I'm not like that..." Harvey lowers his head and stiffens his position "I barely have any friends left and I would never do anything to hurt the ones that I still have..."

"Honestly... I think that ya are more of a danger to yourself than you ever could be to me..." Harleen approaches the window of the room and yanks down on the chain, slowly lifting the blind up and slowly releasing natural light into the room. The sky was still a dull grey with a small amount of snow drifting down, however, it was more light than what was previously filling the room. Harvey nearly jumps back across the bed, his eyes snap shut "Ya need some air, Harv. You can't keep being afraid to face the outside world... ya need to learn that you are not responsible for this... ya need to stop beating yourself up over this"

"You may be right 'bout that one... being stuck in his apartment for the last few months can't be good for me... I need to get some air..." Harvey agrees with a nervous undertone.

Harleen follows his position as she walks back around the bed "Ya should let me swap your bandages first though, wouldn't want ya go gettin' some kind of infection" she advises the man. Her ears prick as she hears a ringing coming from outside the room "Hold on a sec, will ya?" she politely asks, jogging out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen, picking up her phone and answering it "'Ello? Harleen speakin'"

The blonde hears Selina's voice reply "_I got some good news, I've asked around on the streets and have found the location of one of the escapees_"

"Really, who?" Harley asks with a lower voice as her eyes look to the midway open door that leads into the bedroom.

"_Some chump named Arnold Wesker, apparently he's some bigshot crime boss that goes by the name Scarface. I need you to suit up and meet me at the old jolly's toy factory, you know the one? Meet me in an hour, no later_"

"Selina... I really can't... go now" she whispers "Harvey is having far more trouble than I thought, he needs someone to be there for him"

"_I'm sorry, Harl but I need you for backup. Talia has gone AWAL... as per usual. I need you there just in case things get messy..._" Selina replies.

"I do like myself a bit of mess..." Harley muses as she keeps her eyes trained on the door to the bedroom "Alright, but that's it for the night, get me? I may be a lil' whack-a-do and all, but I know when I'm needed. I'll meet ya there, okay?"

"_It should take an hour at most. Think of it like this, the sooner we round of the criminals, the much faster Waller can get out of this city..._"

"That's not good enough for me, you haven't seen it, have you?... Harvey's face under those bandages... I don't even think that he knows how bad it is... I wanna bash as many of their skulls in as possible, got me?" Harleen kneels down in front of the cabinet and opens the doors. She pulls out a suitcase and drops it on the tiled ground "I wanna get 'em into my own fashion style..." she dials a code into the three-digit lock that locked the suitcase.

She opens it up and looks down to her red and black split leather jacket "Black and... so much red..."

**GCPD**

**\- Captain's Office -**

Amanda Waller sits over the desk in the captain's office. She holds a folder in her hands which she has open. Her eyes steadily trail up to Jim Gordon in a glare "I keep asking you back here, Gordon. Day after day, time after time... over and over - do you happen to know why that might be?" Waller asks.

"You don't trust me, that's why" Gordon snappily replies with his own cold glance "And you never will trust me, and you are probably better off for it. You are holding my family's wellbeing as leverage against me. You're not the one who supposed to trust me... I'm the one whose supposed take your word at face value"

"You don't trust me either? I can ensure you that I am a woman of my word"

"What you have on my loved ones... that's not something that will ever go away. The power that you have... that's not just going to magically disappear once you leave this city" Gordon replies as he keeps his glance at Waller "Whenever you want something from me or this city... you will use that same blackmail against me to get what you want. It doesn't matter how well I play along or how much you will turn me against my friends - in the end... you will have the power over me, just like everyone else who can get in your way"

"You're a smart man, Gordon. I wouldn't expect for you to flat-out say you figured me out to my face. I was expecting a little secret rebellion with your cops friends. Maybe... gather the whole city behind you to take me on... but here you are... standing right in front of me and revealing to me that you have me figured out?" Amanda lifts her slim frame off of the desk and smiles, flicking her long raven hair "I like you, Jim. Not as a friend, not as one of my men, not even as a cop as your record has shown me... but I like you for your morals. Never wavering... never backing down... even when you are way out of your league... I can relate that that - now that I think about it, we really do have a lot in common"

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm nothing like you"

"Give it time, Jim" Waller pushes the folder in her hand against Gordon's chest "We both want the same thing" she walks back to the desk and gathers up a pile of papers.

"For different reasons" Jim disputes as he holds the folder to his chest "I don't care if you do have a badge, you are the biggest criminal in this city... and that's not an easy foot to reach. You have the advantage over me... you should enjoy it while it lasts"

Waller let loose a small chuckle "It will last, Jim and don't think for a second that it won't. Let's get one thing straight here... I grow tired of this little checklist of threats you have for me" she steps forward and rests her hand over Gordon's right shoulder "The only criminals in Gotham are the ones who go against me and the order that I am trying to bring back here. I took an oath to protect this proud nation of ours... even when the threats to it are within"

She slowly slivers her hand over to Gordon's neck "Even if it's our own boys in blue or our so-called heroes that we pedestal. Vigilantes that act outside of our own laws and the people of this city, the kids of this nation looks up to them. They look to them as inspirations even though they are known criminals, that's the problem with this country now... the problem with its people... with you. You were tasked with upholding the law, you were given a badge as a sign of that promise and then you turn around and shake hands with Batman... the most known violent, vicious vigilante... who prays upon the mentally ill and deranged. Batman is the biggest criminal in Gotham..."

"Stop trying to excuse your crimes, Waller. Last time I checked... Batman hasn't been spotted since the day the escapees flooded Gotham. I guess that only leaves you left"

"I didn't make this mess, Jim. That was all on you and your incompetence as both as a leader and your role as a cop. I'm just the one who was tasked with cleaning up your mess. So next time that you want to paint me as the villain... I suggest taking a look in the mirror, that will show you the real villain here" she yanks her hand from Gordon's neck and turns around and walks back to the desk "This place is a disease, Gordon. A stain on this country... these maniacs... theses monsters... they need to be put in line, not locked back in Arkham again... they need to learn that their actions cannot be tolerated and won't be by me"

"This city... Gotham. It's not like the other cities. It's like it has a mind of its own... an essence to it... an essence that tends to bring out the worst in people. I've seen its effects with my own eyes and have succumbed to it first hand... even when I was sure that I was doing what I thought was right. It doesn't matter how you are or what you believe in... everyone eventually falls to it. Don't think for a second that you or your soldiers will be spared... no one is..." Gordon warms Waller in a tone of voice that had no hint of uncertainty but of full faith as he knew there was truth to his words.

"Then you better not cross me when it does" Waller laughs back "It's late, Jim. Go and get some sleep... maybe some rest will help set your head back on straight..." Waller suggests though her tone of voice it came across as an order "Resume your duties tomorrow bright and early. You are dismissed"

Without a word, Gordon walks out of the room as he then looks back to Waller from behind the glass of the door that now separates them "I stopped being able to sleep at night a long time ago..." he says under his breath as he heads out of the precinct.

* * *

**Selina and Harley**

**Gotham Rooftops - North of Jolly's Toy Factory **

Catwoman is perching above on the rooftop with Harley kneeling down beside her. Though Selina shows great patience in her posture, barely moving and keeping her eyes trained on the factory across from them, Harley was a completely different story. She fidgets on the spot, being more energetic in her own posture. Her breaths were much looser then Selina's seemingly not following any pattern, some exhales would come much faster than others and some came across as the blonde purposely trying to hold her breath, like she was playing some sort of game by herself.

Selina looks through the lenses of her scarlet tinted goggles, pressing down on the side of her cowl which zoomed her vision in towards the factory. She spots several armed men walking into the place from the ground in an unorganized single file "Thanks to the tech upgrade that Lucius made me, I can safely say... walking in the front door will get us blown to smithereens. It looks like we'll have to find another way to get in" Catwoman informs the blonde next to her.

"Watcha talkin' 'bout? Why do ya think we need to get in there in the first place? We can just wait till they come out again an' then do the nasty to 'em. They should be a lot easier to deal with 'em split apart" the blue-eyed blonde shrugs "I like a bit a crazy but this is too much even for me"

"We can't hang back on this one... the word is that there's a deal going down in there. Who knows what they are trading. We can't risk any of them getting away" Selina replies. She slightly leans the front of her body forward "Though it looks like they are packing a lot of heat down there. Enough to tear through us easily"

"An' the good news just keeps on comin' today" Harley rolls her eyes stands up and stretches her arms behind her back. Catwoman inches closer to the ledge as her eyes land upon the sight of one more person that was entering the factory. A person that sent shivers down her spine and made her breath stagger. The man was hairless with his head and eyebrows lacking any hair. He is dressed in a black shirty with the collar loose under a black jacket. His sleeves were rolled up which revealed a trail of Talley mark like cuts all up his arms and with a whole new set running across the side of his face.

"No... way..." Catwoman whispers.

"Whatcha whisperin' 'bout?" Harley kneels back down beside the other woman.

"Its fucking Zsasz"

"Yikes... I remember my first appointment with that guy... let's just say that it was quite the first impression. Bastard killed half a dozen guards at Arkham just in the time that I worked there" the blonde reveals as a shiver runs down her spine although she was smiling all through her words towards Catwoman "He makes a cut in 'is skin whenever he offs someone... and last time I saw him.. he sure as didn't have any on his face... looks like he's been busy"

"Zsasz is one of the escapes from Arkham and word on the streets is that he's working with Penguin and Riddler... there might be a chance that capturing Zsasz could lead us to them too" Catwoman and Harley both stand up on the ledge and looks towards the factory "We're moving in" Catwoman leaps off of the roof and lashes out her whip to wrap around so near scaffolding to swing her towards the factory. Harley holds her bat over her shoulders as she looks at the other woman go.

"Yeah... I'll be... right behind you..."

* * *

**Inside Jolly's Toy Factory**

Two groups of men oppose each other, one with Zsasz at the front and the other with an older looking man: Arnold Wesker. A grey-haired man whose face was covered in freckles and a frail pair of glasses that cover his eyes. Dressed in a white shirt and dark-red waistcoat. The man by himself was nowhere near being as intimidating as Zsasz, in fact, Arnold just had the look of a friendly old man, though frail, he still looked to be a kind and lovable man... all except for one little detail.

He held a wooden dummy in his left arm. Dressed in top hate and white suit with a small scar running its left eye. Scarface's plastic orbed eyes track Zsasz's every move. Not taking its eyes off of him for even a mere second. Arnold held a briefcase in his free hand and one of Zsasz's men held their own briefcase in their hands. Scarface's face was crafted with a permanent smile with a cigar hanging out "Well? Let's see the goods 'en? Doncha makes me blast a cap in your skull" Scarface growls which made Arnold slightly sweat.

"Oh we'll get there but first my constituent wants me to see if you have the money before I hand these treats over to you... we wouldn't want any unneeded casualties.. well... I kind of do... but it's not always about me... no matter how much that sucks" Zsasz smiles as he points his gloved hand to the briefcase in Arnold's hand as he wingless his finger in a playful manner "Show. Me. The. Money"

"Ya heard him, Dummy! Give him the dough" Scarface demands.

"Yes, Mister Scarface" Arnold nervously replies as he shaking hand lifts and he passes the briefcase over to Zsasz. He lifts it up and opens. The hairless man nods as he takes the case by the handle and drags it to his side. Scarface's eyes reposition back onto Zsasz "Now that our dillydallying is out of the way I expect you to hang over our weapons, capeesh? Scarface glares "Don't make me eighty-six you, you hairless monkey"

"Mr Scarface... there is no need to be so rude..." Arnold shakes in his boots.

"Ah, go and put eh' sock in it, you daisy" Scarface growls.

Zsasz snaps his fingers "I was just going to kill you at this point... but that dummy is just too much fun. You know... the iceberg lounge could really use with some new entertainment. We got singing and dancing but a puppet show...? Now that's something that can be entertaining..." four of his men hands over their briefcases over to one of Scarface's men. Zsasz folds his arms and looks at Arnold "Where did you get the dummy anyways? It looks like an antique... I remember Oswald saying something about another Dummy... just like this one"

"Watch who you are calling dummy, you pansy" Scarface shoots back "And this twit has no business talking to you 'bout our business... now scram and let the door hit you on your way out"

"It's... *don't let the door hit you on your way out*" Zsasz replies.

"I know what I said. The door is a really heavy metal one... can easily take one of your arms off..."

"I'm not humouring this... I am not humouring this..." Zsasz shrugs "All the weapons and ammo are in the case... if end up needing more... you know who to call" he winks. Arnold and Zsasz look up to the skyline as they see a shadow move across it which is reflected on the ground between them. Zsasz slowly turns on his feet as he looks up at the skyline, seeing that shadow had already passed by them. Arnold and Scarface tilt their gaze upward too.

"You got to be 'aving a laugh, right? That better not be who I think it is" Scarface's eyes roll to the side.

"Relax, will you? It's most likely just a bird" Zsasz nonchalantly says back.

"In winter? Now, who's the real dummy" Scarface scoffs.

"Good point... good point... good point" Zsasz pulls out his dual handguns from his holsters and flips them in his gloved hands "Never hurts to be too safe now. I'm not saying that it could Batman, Bane wouldn't stop boasting about how he killed him... might be... well... I have no clue"

"If you let Batman or Checkmate follow ya here... I will ring your neck so hard... your head will fall straight off your shoulders boy!" the dummy shouts as a small pellet was thrown onto the floor and rolls in between both of Arnold and Zsasz's feet.

Scarface's eyebrows raise "Oh you mother fu-"

The pellet steams out three clouds of green gas which unsettle the two men making them cover their mouths to stop themselves to inhaling it "It's tear gas!" Zsasz yells as was thrown into a coughing fit. His eyes begun to sting and redden almost swelling on the spot. The room had been full of the gas in a thick cloud which made trying to see anyone else in the place a hard task as they were all masked from each other by the gas. Zsasz's ears pick up the sound of loud gunfire in the room along with the screams of both his and Scarface's men, loud thuds and bone-breaking cracks that made even him uneasy.

Arnold was hunched over, barely able to breathe and even see. His vision and eyes have swollen and stung far worse then he could have ever imagined. Though all of the pain that he felt, he still held onto Scarface as his life depended on it "Mr Scarface... what's going on?"

"Who cares?!" Scarface growls "Take out your gun and shoot"

"Where? Shoot where... I can't see anything... I can't even open my eyes..." the man panics.

"EVERYWHERE. Light up this whole place like a Christmas tree you moron!" the dummy replies "And if we're lucky... we'll take out those slobber knockers too... now, less yapping and more blasting!." Arnold nods as he pulls a handgun from his back pocket and begins to fire into the distance without any sight or knowledge of what he would hit. He lets loose several rounds before he turns up empty and his gun just clicks. Not having another bullet to spare.

Zsasz turns on his heels as he looks at his surroundings, removing his jacket and holding against his nose and mouth to cease his intake of the gas as much as possible "Oswald is sure as hell not going to like this..." thinks to himself. His eyes jolts as he feels something, like claws slice across his back. Cutting through his clothes and even skin which created several trails of blood that drip down his back "What the?" he turns and sees a figure clouded by the gas run their fist across his face which knocks him back.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! They don't match! They don't match! THEY DON'T MATCH!" Zsasz brings up his handgun and fires in a panic at the clouded figure. Catwoman rolls over onto the ground to avoid the gunfire, wearing an oxygen mask which spares her from the dangers of the gas. She leaps up back to her feet and lashes her claws across the man's face, cutting across his face and in his right eye. Zsasz screams as blood now streams down his eye as well with it being swollen left an ungodly pain.

"NOT COOL! The more marks you make... the more people that I have to kill! Starting with you!" he goes to fire his weapon once more. Catwoman slides under the man's feet and kicks his shins in, knocking Zsasz onto his knees. Her heels had hit so hard that they fractured bones in the man's feet. She jumps up to her feet and jumps against one of the support beams and kicks off it and rams her foot across Victor's face. The man spits blood as he was thrown onto the ground.

Her heel placed itself over the man's head. Zsasz just stars blankly "Really? Tear gas... kinda dick move... I mean... I would have done that myself too but... but I would at least kill some people first without it, you know? It's about the extravaganza... the style. It really tells me a lot about how you lack creativity... did you never do art in school or anything? You're just boring and... boring is something that you should never be in Gotham... yet again, all the cool stuff is already taken... so I can understand that... but still... what a disappointment..."

"Do you ever shut up?" Catwoman hisses.

"Yes... no... yes... wait... no... maybe?... when I'm sleeping I do... but I've also been told that I talk in my sleep. It's a real problem. I ended up confessing all kinds of twisted thing that I've done when sleeping... like in explicit detail... who knew that your brain still functioned so well even when you are sleeping, crazy right? I usually go and see doctors about it... but I also usually end up killing them too as they too overhear me sleeping... it's really getting tedious..."

"You make me sick" Catwoman narrows her eyes.

"Why thank-you. I really do try to make a conscious effort. Thanks for noticing. It really means..." Catwoman kicks the man across the back of his head while rolled him onto his back as he looks up to her "Oh... Catwoman? You a hero now or something? That's cool... that's cool... to each to their own... I guess. Say, I am kinda dying her, I can barely breathe... could you possibly open a window? It's quite toasty in here" Catwoman kicks him across his face again, and again.

Zsasz spits up blood and smiles "Okay... I can take the hint..."

"How are you still conscious?" Catwoman groans as she delivers another kick to Zsasz face "Just be knocked out already!"

"You kick like a woman, eh?" Zsasz chuckles which displayed his faintly blood tainted teeth "Yet again... you are a woman... so that's to be expected"

"You are literally the worst human being that I know" Catwoman growls.

"Hey, I'm the worst human being that I know too... just the way I li-" Zsasz was abruptly interrupted as a metal baseball bat was rammed down onto his face; cracking his nose. Zsasz was left in a daze, unable to speak or even move. Catwoman looks up to see an annoyed Harley who also wore who own oxygen mask with a clear vizor.

"Ya were goin' for 'is jawline... rooky mistake. Always go for the cranium... that always does the trick" Harley informs Catwoman in a playful tone. They both look ahead to the tear gas that was slowly fading "We betta finish this up quick" the blonde and the dark-haired woman runs ahead.

Harley hangs her bat low and swings it at one of the goon's legs; knocking him off balance. She stomps on the back of his head with her boot. She then leaps off in a small hope and rams the bat across another thug's face; making a bunch of teeth to fly out of his mouth. She twirls on her heels and whacks another thug in the stomach. She then rams her head forward and headbutts him. The man was knocked onto the ground. Harley grins "Damn that felt great..."

Catwoman claws her way through a group of blinded thugs who held their eyes tights. She cuts across their shoulders, chests and legs. She stomps her boots down on one of the men's foot and headbutts him, clawing again at his chest, kicking upward and kneeing his stomach. She lifts her arm and rams it back into the nose of the guy behind her "I almost feel bad for how unfair this is for them... almost" Catwoman calls out to Harley.

"Are ya kiddin' me? This is great for working out my anger issues... I am lovin' this!" Harley slams her bat down over one of the thug's head; knocking him down to the ground. She runs and slides on the ground and swings her bat across another thug's shin. She leaps up and grabs the man's arm and yanks him towards her "I'm even gettin' a little crazy!" she laughs as she bends the man's arm the wrong way and breaks it in two. The thug screams in pain and begs for her to stop. Harley simply shakes her head and pushes him onto the ground on his back.

"Please... stop..." he begs the blonde.

"Ah... that's a shame... I thought we 'ad something goin' for us, don't ya feel it? It kinda feels like this!" she swings the bat downward and onto the man's right foot; cracking it in several places. The thug screams again as he holds his foot and rolls on his side.

"You crazy bitch! I got beaten up by the Bat before and he was never this messed up!" he screams.

"Damn right and doncha forget it" she slowly runs her thumb against the skin of her neck. Harley's eyes look over through the fading fog to see someone run out a door that leads out of the place. A smile slowly forms on her face and she lifts an eyebrow "This should be a lil' fun then!" she takes off after the person as she too runs through the door and heads out into the snow-covered ground of the outside world.

"Hold on a sec. Don't go off by yourself!" Catwoman calls out to the blonde as she rams her first across a thug's face.

* * *

**Outside of Jolly's Toy Factory**

"Keep goin' you snivelling birdbrained dumbass! Don't ya let those minxes get us!" Scarface yells as Arnold Wesker: The Ventriloquist slowly runs as he quickly became short of breath as he is unable to keep going. His age wouldn't allow is so he was rendered to slumping his body across the ground, dragging his feet. The old man had to stop. His body wouldn't move and he was left standing on the spot as he pants heavily. The dummy's head slowly turns to Arnold "Ya dense or somethin'? I said keep goin' you, incompetent dunce!"

"Ever-so-sorry sir! I just can't keep running. I- I can barely breath..." Arnold sheepishly responds in a shy tone.

Scarface lifts one of his thick eyebrows in irritation "Ya gotta be havin' a laugh, right? When I say move it... I mean MOVE it! Quit ya whining and get back to running you, buffoon!" The handler of the dummy nods as he looks begins again, dragging his feet and trying to get as much distance between him and the factory as possible.

The ground was still covered by snow which had mostly hardened into ice by this point as well snow still faintly falls from the sky. The air itself was full of a grey tint to it which gave everything a chilling filling. Once he got to the roads his journey became a much more easy one as the grit and gravel that covered it had subdued and melted most of the snow and ice away. Arnold was running on fumes at that point, his breaths that he took did not give him nearly enough oxygen to support his efforts.

"I can't keep this up, Mr Scarface... I can't... I can't..." Arnold slumps over and gasps "Please forgive me"

"Ah... ya are useless! I should 'ave known ya can't be trusted to do zip! Feel lucky that ya don't have any ammo left... otherwise I would be pumpin' you full of lead myself right now!" the dummy yells as it was clearly pissed at the older man "Or better yet... how 'bout I break your neck!"

"Mr Scarface, please... p-please don't be so mean to me... I have been doing my best..." the old man stutters.

"That was ya best? Bend me over and call me Sally... that what's ya say is ya best work? Thanks, Christ Almighty that you haven't been doing your worst... because then I really would have been screwed over..." Scarface growls. Arnold and Scarface both turn their head as they hear a voice call out to them from behind.

"Aye Scarface say 'ello to meh li' friend!" Harley calls out as she throws her metal stripped bat and bashes it across the dummy; cracking the right side of its wooden face. Arnold Wesker tumbles backwards in shock as he falls on his back on a pile of snow. Harley grins as she picks up her bat and then spins it in her grip "Get it? Yer called Scarface... so... so I said that line, kinda clever, right? Really? Nothing... everyone thinks that they are a comedian theses days..." the blonde puffs a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Ya crazy Trixie! Are ya out of ya bloody mind!?" Scarface screams, trying to lift up his right eyebrow through the cracks in his head make that movement impossible. Wesker slowly lifts his right hand and adjusts his glasses to sharpen his vision "Please Ma'am... I give up... please don't hurt me... I beg you... I give up..."

"Eh... what?" Harley's eyes switch between both the old man and the dummy "Somethin' ain't right here..."

"Damn right it's not! Ya crazy bitch just tried to make worm meat out of me! You are bloody crazy!" Scarface narrows his eyes "Here I was just tryin' to make an ordinary deal for weapons. I wasn't double-crossin' no one, I kept my end of the deal an' all and here ya come with ya lil' minx of a friend to destroy it! And to top it all of... you club me in the face with a metal bat when I was runnin' away and not hurtin' anyone!" the dummy snarls.

"W-what? Okay... I am super confused... are you a sad old man or a jerk... this is gettin' hard to follow... unless..." Harley's eyes light up as she claps "Oh my god... you're a ventriloquist aren't ya! Ah I always wanted one for my birthdays when I was a tiny little girl... but no... mom always went with a clown..." the blonde shrugs as she knees down and reaches out with her black fingerless gloved hand and taps Scarface "You nearly had me for a second... I almost thought that the dummy was actually sentient... wow... how dumb, right? THERE is NO way that a dummy could be ali-." Scarface was propelled forward and trapped one of the woman's fingers in its wooden teeth.

"Aggghhhh" the blonde yanks her hand back "Ah! The dummy bit me! WHAT THE HELL?" she jolts up and lifts her bat high over her head "Ya little bastard!"

"No... wait, please!" Arnold lifts his right hand up as a shield "Mr Scarface didn't mean it, he didn't mean it... he just doesn't like being called a dummy..." the man quivers in fear as the towering blonde with the pale white face as her eyes narrow.

"Awe please... she ain't got the marbles to do it!" Scarface scoffs.

"THIS IS NOT COMING TO MY EIGHTH, NINTH, TENTH, ELEVENTH OR EVEN TWELFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY!" she uses all of her upper body strength to swing her bat downward and crushes Scarface's head under the force; crushing it inward of itself. She swings her arms back up over her hand and slams them back down again as the bad crushes the rest of the dummy's head "THIS IS FOR MY MOM HIRING THE SAME GODDAMN CLOWN FOR SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW... EVEN THOUGH I AM SURE THAT HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO BE AROUND KIDS AS PART OF HIS PROBATION!" she swings down the once more and this time the bad breaks through the remains of Scarface and crushes the old man's left hand, shattering all of its bones in one swoop.

Arnold looked up in horror as he slowly turns his head to see the broken remains of Scarface along with his broken and mangled hand "Oh my... you killed Mr Scarface... you killed him... oh my... thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you!" the frail old man looks back up to the blonde and ceases his words as he still sees the anger in her eyes as she winds up another swing with her bat "W-what are you doing miss? Mr Scarface is dead, he was the threat... not me... I didn't want any part in this... he... he forced me... he made me..."

"It's nothin' personal ya geezer. Nothin' personal at all. It's just... some time ago a wise man got into my head... and made me realize that I love killin' things... it helps full the empty feeling that I have always had... I've tried to fight the urge to hurt others... I really have tried to fight it... but sometimes... I just can't... I just can't seem to care... and in those times... I love hurting people... I love it!" Harley laughs as she whacks her bat back down and crushes Arnold's other hand; breaking it too "As well you just pissed me off..."

"PLEASE, ENOUGH...PLEASE..." Arnold cries as he looks at his dual pair of mangled hands "... Please don't do this young lady... please..."

"*Young?*" Harley flutters her eyes "Why... thank you..." she flashes a quick smile before returning back to her angry gaze as she takes another swing with her bat. Arnold stiffens up and closes his eyes. Harley's eyes widen as a whip was wrapped around both of her wrists. The blonde was then yanked backwards onto her back as she looks up to Catwoman standing over her. The dark-haired woman flashes a glare down at the blonde and hurries over to Arnold.

"Jesus, Harley... what the hell did you do?" Catwoman hisses as she looks over the mentally-broken man who was crying on the ground "Harley... what the hell did you do!?"

"What's yer problem?" Harley jumps to her feet and rubs over her right shoulder "I was takin' care of him before ya lost it and floored me! Now if ya don't mind... I need to finish it an' make sure that he doesn't get up" she strafes forward only to be stopped by Catwoman who placed herself in the way between the blonde and the grounded man. Harley narrows her eyes as she looks up to meet Selina's gaze "What do ya think that ya doin'? Get out of my way"

"He's no longer a threat... you made sure of that..." Catwoman snarls at the blonde "I saw you, Harley... I saw you were about to kill him... if I didn't get here in time... you would have crossed a line, one that we shouldn't cross"

"Well maybe ya shoulda let me... at least then we wouldn't be dealing with a crying old man" Harley lifts her bat and holds it over her shoulders "Plus... I wasn't actually gonna kill him... I am just following your lead and the example that ya were setting for me... sure he might have been hurtin' like hell... but he would have recovered... eventually"

"My example?" Catwoman asks perplexed and offended by the other woman's words "I don't do this, Harley! I don't go needlessly go beating on guys who already down! There's a line and a limit, Harley and if you want to keep working with us... you better learn it. We need to be better than this. We have to be better than this"

Oh, really?" Harley chuckles "So ya fine with cutting up guys with your claws and using tear gas to damage their eyesight is fine but making sure that they stay down is takin' it too far? Ummm hellloooo? Remember Zsasz a few minutes ago? Ya were happy attacking him when he was down... ya only stopped because I had to step in and finish it. No offence but ya sound like ya don't even buy this whole *We are better than them" shtick thing that ya are preaching... considering ya only apply it when it best suits ya"

"Don't act for a second that you think that you know me... because you don't. What you did here was beyond excusable" Catwoman turns around to look at Arnold "As much as hate to admit it, Talia may have been right in saying that I shouldn't have brought you on board... you're inexperienced... and it seems that you can't even control your temper. Maybe you should go back home, Harley. Spend some time with Harvey and take some time to clear your head and get yourself sorted out... you need to learn to control yourself"

"Maybe ya need to learn to let yourself loose sometimes... seriously... all this *hero* speech doesn't fit ya. Last time I checked... you were a mass thief that steals from anyone she can to get a quick paycheck. This whole *tough* act. It kinda sounds like something I imagine Batman sayin'. Ya are goin' on 'bout how I don't know ya... but I got a sneaking suspicion that maybe ya don't even know yerself" Harley shrugs as she smirks "Just sayin' that yer' not really have a pedestal of moral superiority yerself either... Trust me on this... I am a psychiatrist. We tend to know where we're talkin' about"  
"I said enough!" Catwoman spits "Go home"

"Fine, whatever... see ya tomorrow" Harley turns and skips away "Hopefully then ya won't have a tree-sized stick stuck up ya ass!" Catwoman holds her hand on her hips as she dismisses the blonde's words.

Above on the rooftops, a silhouetted figure stands dressed with a cape and with a pair of pointy ears on top of their cowl. They stand with their arms resting by their sides as they looked down to Catwoman and Harley who was skipping away from the scene. The figure has a red bat symbol on their chest and had a feminine figure. Her right fist was covered by a red armoured shoulder-length glove which held a metal a Batarang with red stripes across the wings of it.

* * *

**Wayne Manner -**

**The Next Morning**

Bruce leans back on the couch of the living room with Alfred standing behind him "You know Master Bruce when I said that I wanted to try and get you out of the room of yours... I didn't mean for you to just down here and do the same silent treatment." Alfred walks around and places down a silver tray over the table. Bruce glances down to the tray and sees a cup of coffee and a small salad "I know how you haven't been feeling that hungry lately... so I thought that instead of wasting my time and the food... I should just make something small... something bite-sized"

"Thanks, Alfred" Bruce goes to reach up to the cup on the trey, struggling once his hands got close to it. He tries to lean forward but was swiftly drawn back by the sharp pain that shoots through his body. His back was aching... hurting like hell even after all this time. Bruce winces in pain as he repeats his action, reaching out to the cup. He was once again stopped as the pain flared up once more and forced to return back to his previous position. He growls as he lifts both of his hands and runs them through his hair.

"Lighten up, Master B" Alfred leans over and hands the cup over to Bruce "Doctor Tompkins said that your recovery could still take months... even years. There is no need to lose your temper, no one is expecting you to just recover so fast. You are only human after all..."

"I know, Alfred. That doesn't make me feel any better though..." he sips from the cup "Everyday I am reminded that I'm only human, every day I am told to not to worry, not be concerned with my recovery. I have been told again and again that I may need years to fully get back on my feet. How can I forget that when I am constantly being reminded of I am just a regular guy... that I am nothing special... after a while it begins to sink in" Bruce rolls her eyes "And it's made even worse by the fact that while I am sitting here... unable to walk or do anything to help, Gotham is full lunatics and now those Checkmates Soldiers who are treating criminals and innocents alike... so no, Alfred... I am not going to *lighten up*. Not when innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire"

Alfred holds his arms behind his back "If you insist, Master Bruce. I know that my words may be falling on deaf ears... but have you ever considered that right now, the last thing this city needs is Batman? Maybe just maybe... if you can think straight, you may realize that simple old Bruce Wayne can do just as much good for it. Though by different means, you will still be working towards bringing hope to the people of Gotham"

"What the hell can Bruce Wayne do at this point? Show up all broken and unable to walk... if you don't remember, Bane knows who I am, Joker knows who I am. Me going to help in the efforts as Bruce will only put a target on myself and the ones around me... face it, Bruce Wayne is useless..." Bruce says with a hollow tone "My family's legacy means nothing to the city now, nothing to Checkmate and nothing to those maniacs. Bruce Wayne is just a person... but Batman? He's the one that Gotham needs right now"

"If you feel that is for the best... then I will not get in your way. Now if you would excuse me... there are things that I must attend to" Alfred excuses himself and leaves the room which left Bruce on his own. The billionaire sits in silence for minutes on end, he would glance at the Grandfather Clock of the room. Seeing that every time between five and ten minutes pass between each of his glances. Bruce leans back and looks up to the ceiling.

"I can't do this..." Bruce rubs his temple. He steadily leans his body forward and picks up the remote lying on the table and uses it to turn on the television and switches between channels until he lands upon the news. His eyes observes a Jack Ryder, one of the various hotshot reporters that were nowhere near being as famous as they thought that they are. Bruce raises the volume to hear the man's words.

_"- The men were found badly wounded and beaten. Sources are telling us that they were covered in scratch marks and were bleeding heavily. As well some others seemed to be suffering from head trauma and are suffering from the effects of tear gas. Some of the men in question may have their vision permanently impaired, some are suffering other side effects such severe burns all over their bodies. Checkmate is denying having any involvement in this operation and say that they are looking into it. It should be noted that whoever caused this whole thing managed to capture both Arnold Wesker and Victor Zsasz, both known criminals that were previously incarcerated in Arkham Asylum and were apart of the rogue group that was broken out a few months back..."_

Bruce's eyes widen as he observes the images of the two named convicts that were propped up on the screen. The image appears to have been taken after their capture as shown them covered in bruises with their eyes being swollen shut with Zsasz covered in familiar-looking claw marks and with Arnold being covered in yellowing bruises. Bruce lowers his head to the ground and rests his hands over his lap "I need to get back to the city" he thinks to himself.


	25. Lose Ourselves

**Lose Ourselves **

* * *

**GCPD**

**\- Captain's Office -**

Amanda Waller sits over the desk in the captain's office. She holds a folder in her hands which she has open. Her eyes steadily trail up to Jim Gordon in a glare "I keep asking you back here, Gordon. Day after day, time after time... over and over - do you happen to know why that might be?" Waller asks.

"You don't trust me, that's why" Gordon snappily replies with his own cold glance "And you never will trust me, and you are probably better off for it. You are holding my family's wellbeing as leverage against me. You're not the one who supposed to trust me... I'm the one whose supposed take your word at face value"

"You don't trust me either? I can ensure you that I am a woman of my word"

"What you have on my loved ones... that's not something that will ever go away. The power that you have... that's not just going to magically disappear once you leave this city" Gordon replies as he keeps his glance at Waller "Whenever you want something from me or this city... you will use that same blackmail against me to get what you want. It doesn't matter how well I play along or how much you will turn me against my friends - in the end... you will have the power over me, just like everyone else who can get in your way"

"You're a smart man, Gordon. I wouldn't expect for you to flat-out say you figured me out to my face. I was expecting a little secret rebellion with your cops friends. Maybe... gather the whole city behind you to take me on... but here you are... standing right in front of me and revealing to me that you have me figured out?" Amanda lifts her slim frame off of the desk and smiles, flicking her long raven hair "I like you, Jim. Not as a friend, not as one of my men, not even as a cop as your record has shown me... but I like you for your morals. Never wavering... never backing down... even when you are way out of your league... I can relate that that - now that I think about it, we really do have a lot in common"

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm nothing like you"

"Give it time, Jim" Waller pushes the folder in her hand against Gordon's chest "We both want the same thing" she walks back to the desk and gathers up a pile of papers.

"For different reasons" Jim disputes as he holds the folder to his chest "I don't care if you do have a badge, you are the biggest criminal in this city... and that's not an easy foot to reach. You have the advantage over me... you should enjoy it while it lasts"

Waller let loose a small chuckle "It will last, Jim and don't think for a second that it won't. Let's get one thing straight here... I grow tired of this little checklist of threats you have for me" she steps forward and rests her hand over Gordon's right shoulder "The only criminals in Gotham are the ones who go against me and the order that I am trying to bring back here. I took an oath to protect this proud nation of ours... even when the threats to it are within"

She slowly slivers her hand over to Gordon's neck "Even if it's our own boys in blue or our so-called heroes that we pedestal. Vigilantes that act outside of our own laws and the people of this city, the kids of this nation looks up to them. They look to them as inspirations even though they are known criminals, that's the problem with this country now... the problem with its people... with you. You were tasked with upholding the law, you were given a badge as a sign of that promise and then you turn around and shake hands with Batman... the most known violent, vicious vigilante... who prays upon the mentally ill and deranged. Batman is the biggest criminal in Gotham..."

"Stop trying to excuse your crimes, Waller. Last time I checked... Batman hasn't been spotted since the day the escapees flooded Gotham. I guess that only leaves you left"

"I didn't make this mess, Jim. That was all on you and your incompetence as both as a leader and your role as a cop. I'm just the one who was tasked with cleaning up your mess. So next time that you want to paint me as the villain... I suggest taking a look in the mirror, that will show you the real villain here" she yanks her hand from Gordon's neck and turns around and walks back to the desk "This place is a disease, Gordon. A stain on this country... these maniacs... theses monsters... they need to be put in line, not locked back in Arkham again... they need to learn that their actions cannot be tolerated and won't be by me"

"This city... Gotham. It's not like the other cities. It's like it has a mind of its own... an essence to it... an essence that tends to bring out the worst in people. I've seen its effects with my own eyes and have succumbed to it first hand... even when I was sure that I was doing what I thought was right. It doesn't matter how you are or what you believe in... everyone eventually falls to it. Don't think for a second that you or your soldiers will be spared... no one is..." Gordon warms Waller in a tone of voice that had no hint of uncertainty but of full faith as he knew there was truth to his words.

"Then you better not cross me when it does" Waller laughs back "It's late, Jim. Go and get some sleep... maybe some rest will help set your head back on straight..." Waller suggests though her tone of voice it came across as an order "Resume your duties tomorrow bright and early. You are dismissed"

Without a word, Gordon walks out of the room as he then looks back to Waller from behind the glass of the door that now separates them "I stopped being able to sleep at night a long time ago..." he says under his breath as he heads out of the precinct.

* * *

**Selina and Harley**

**Gotham Rooftops - North of Jolly's Toy Factory **

Catwoman is perching above on the rooftop with Harley kneeling down beside her. Though Selina shows great patience in her posture, barely moving and keeping her eyes trained on the factory across from them, Harley was a completely different story. She fidgets on the spot, being more energetic in her own posture. Her breaths were much looser then Selina's seemingly not following any pattern, some exhales would come much faster than others and some came across as the blonde purposely trying to hold her breath, like she was playing some sort of game by herself.

Selina looks through the lenses of her scarlet tinted goggles, pressing down on the side of her cowl which zoomed her vision in towards the factory. She spots several armed men walking into the place from the ground in an unorganized single file "Thanks to the tech upgrade that Lucius made me, I can safely say... walking in the front door will get us blown to smithereens. It looks like we'll have to find another way to get in" Catwoman informs the blonde next to her.

"Watcha talkin' 'bout? Why do ya think we need to get in there in the first place? We can just wait till they come out again an' then do the nasty to 'em. They should be a lot easier to deal with 'em split apart" the blue-eyed blonde shrugs "I like a bit a crazy but this is too much even for me"

"We can't hang back on this one... the word is that there's a deal going down in there. Who knows what they are trading. We can't risk any of them getting away" Selina replies. She slightly leans the front of her body forward "Though it looks like they are packing a lot of heat down there. Enough to tear through us easily"

"An' the good news just keeps on comin' today" Harley rolls her eyes stands up and stretches her arms behind her back. Catwoman inches closer to the ledge as her eyes land upon the sight of one more person that was entering the factory. A person that sent shivers down her spine and made her breath stagger. The man was hairless with his head and eyebrows lacking any hair. He is dressed in a black shirty with the collar loose under a black jacket. His sleeves were rolled up which revealed a trail of Talley mark like cuts all up his arms and with a whole new set running across the side of his face.

"No... way..." Catwoman whispers.

"Whatcha whisperin' 'bout?" Harley kneels back down beside the other woman.

"Its fucking Zsasz"

"Yikes... I remember my first appointment with that guy... let's just say that it was quite the first impression. Bastard killed half a dozen guards at Arkham just in the time that I worked there" the blonde reveals as a shiver runs down her spine although she was smiling all through her words towards Catwoman "He makes a cut in 'is skin whenever he offs someone... and last time I saw him.. he sure as didn't have any on his face... looks like he's been busy"

"Zsasz is one of the escapes from Arkham and word on the streets is that he's working with Penguin and Riddler... there might be a chance that capturing Zsasz could lead us to them too" Catwoman and Harley both stand up on the ledge and looks towards the factory "We're moving in" Catwoman leaps off of the roof and lashes out her whip to wrap around so near scaffolding to swing her towards the factory. Harley holds her bat over her shoulders as she looks at the other woman go.

"Yeah... I'll be... right behind you..."

* * *

**Inside Jolly's Toy Factory**

Two groups of men oppose each other, one with Zsasz at the front and the other with an older looking man: Arnold Wesker. A grey-haired man whose face was covered in freckles and a frail pair of glasses that cover his eyes. Dressed in a white shirt and dark-red waistcoat. The man by himself was nowhere near being as intimidating as Zsasz, in fact, Arnold just had the look of a friendly old man, though frail, he still looked to be a kind and lovable man... all except for one little detail.

He held a wooden dummy in his left arm. Dressed in top hate and white suit with a small scar running its left eye. Scarface's plastic orbed eyes track Zsasz's every move. Not taking its eyes off of him for even a mere second. Arnold held a briefcase in his free hand and one of Zsasz's men held their own briefcase in their hands. Scarface's face was crafted with a permanent smile with a cigar hanging out "Well? Let's see the goods 'en? Doncha makes me blast a cap in your skull" Scarface growls which made Arnold slightly sweat.

"Oh we'll get there but first my constituent wants me to see if you have the money before I hand these treats over to you... we wouldn't want any unneeded casualties.. well... I kind of do... but it's not always about me... no matter how much that sucks" Zsasz smiles as he points his gloved hand to the briefcase in Arnold's hand as he wingless his finger in a playful manner "Show. Me. The. Money"

"Ya heard him, Dummy! Give him the dough" Scarface demands.

"Yes, Mister Scarface" Arnold nervously replies as he shaking hand lifts and he passes the briefcase over to Zsasz. He lifts it up and opens. The hairless man nods as he takes the case by the handle and drags it to his side. Scarface's eyes reposition back onto Zsasz "Now that our dillydallying is out of the way I expect you to hang over our weapons, capeesh? Scarface glares "Don't make me eighty-six you, you hairless monkey"

"Mr Scarface... there is no need to be so rude..." Arnold shakes in his boots.

"Ah, go and put eh' sock in it, you daisy" Scarface growls.

Zsasz snaps his fingers "I was just going to kill you at this point... but that dummy is just too much fun. You know... the iceberg lounge could really use with some new entertainment. We got singing and dancing but a puppet show...? Now that's something that can be entertaining..." four of his men hands over their briefcases over to one of Scarface's men. Zsasz folds his arms and looks at Arnold "Where did you get the dummy anyways? It looks like an antique... I remember Oswald saying something about another Dummy... just like this one"

"Watch who you are calling dummy, you pansy" Scarface shoots back "And this twit has no business talking to you 'bout our business... now scram and let the door hit you on your way out"

"It's... *don't let the door hit you on your way out*" Zsasz replies.

"I know what I said. The door is a really heavy metal one... can easily take one of your arms off..."

"I'm not humouring this... I am not humouring this..." Zsasz shrugs "All the weapons and ammo are in the case... if end up needing more... you know who to call" he winks. Arnold and Zsasz look up to the skyline as they see a shadow move across it which is reflected on the ground between them. Zsasz slowly turns on his feet as he looks up at the skyline, seeing that shadow had already passed by them. Arnold and Scarface tilt their gaze upward too.

"You got to be 'aving a laugh, right? That better not be who I think it is" Scarface's eyes roll to the side.

"Relax, will you? It's most likely just a bird" Zsasz nonchalantly says back.

"In winter? Now, who's the real dummy" Scarface scoffs.

"Good point... good point... good point" Zsasz pulls out his dual handguns from his holsters and flips them in his gloved hands "Never hurts to be too safe now. I'm not saying that it could Batman, Bane wouldn't stop boasting about how he killed him... might be... well... I have no clue"

"If you let Batman or Checkmate follow ya here... I will ring your neck so hard... your head will fall straight off your shoulders boy!" the dummy shouts as a small pellet was thrown onto the floor and rolls in between both of Arnold and Zsasz's feet.

Scarface's eyebrows raise "Oh you mother fu-"

The pellet steams out three clouds of green gas which unsettle the two men making them cover their mouths to stop themselves to inhaling it "It's tear gas!" Zsasz yells as was thrown into a coughing fit. His eyes begun to sting and redden almost swelling on the spot. The room had been full of the gas in a thick cloud which made trying to see anyone else in the place a hard task as they were all masked from each other by the gas. Zsasz's ears pick up the sound of loud gunfire in the room along with the screams of both his and Scarface's men, loud thuds and bone-breaking cracks that made even him uneasy.

Arnold was hunched over, barely able to breathe and even see. His vision and eyes have swollen and stung far worse then he could have ever imagined. Though all of the pain that he felt, he still held onto Scarface as his life depended on it "Mr Scarface... what's going on?"

"Who cares?!" Scarface growls "Take out your gun and shoot"

"Where? Shoot where... I can't see anything... I can't even open my eyes..." the man panics.

"EVERYWHERE. Light up this whole place like a Christmas tree you moron!" the dummy replies "And if we're lucky... we'll take out those slobber knockers too... now, less yapping and more blasting!." Arnold nods as he pulls a handgun from his back pocket and begins to fire into the distance without any sight or knowledge of what he would hit. He lets loose several rounds before he turns up empty and his gun just clicks. Not having another bullet to spare.

Zsasz turns on his heels as he looks at his surroundings, removing his jacket and holding against his nose and mouth to cease his intake of the gas as much as possible "Oswald is sure as hell not going to like this..." thinks to himself. His eyes jolts as he feels something, like claws slice across his back. Cutting through his clothes and even skin which created several trails of blood that drip down his back "What the?" he turns and sees a figure clouded by the gas run their fist across his face which knocks him back.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! They don't match! They don't match! THEY DON'T MATCH!" Zsasz brings up his handgun and fires in a panic at the clouded figure. Catwoman rolls over onto the ground to avoid the gunfire, wearing an oxygen mask which spares her from the dangers of the gas. She leaps up back to her feet and lashes her claws across the man's face, cutting across his face and in his right eye. Zsasz screams as blood now streams down his eye as well with it being swollen left an ungodly pain.

"NOT COOL! The more marks you make... the more people that I have to kill! Starting with you!" he goes to fire his weapon once more. Catwoman slides under the man's feet and kicks his shins in, knocking Zsasz onto his knees. Her heels had hit so hard that they fractured bones in the man's feet. She jumps up to her feet and jumps against one of the support beams and kicks off it and rams her foot across Victor's face. The man spits blood as he was thrown onto the ground.

Her heel placed itself over the man's head. Zsasz just stars blankly "Really? Tear gas... kinda dick move... I mean... I would have done that myself too but... but I would at least kill some people first without it, you know? It's about the extravaganza... the style. It really tells me a lot about how you lack creativity... did you never do art in school or anything? You're just boring and... boring is something that you should never be in Gotham... yet again, all the cool stuff is already taken... so I can understand that... but still... what a disappointment..."

"Do you ever shut up?" Catwoman hisses.

"Yes... no... yes... wait... no... maybe?... when I'm sleeping I do... but I've also been told that I talk in my sleep. It's a real problem. I ended up confessing all kinds of twisted thing that I've done when sleeping... like in explicit detail... who knew that your brain still functioned so well even when you are sleeping, crazy right? I usually go and see doctors about it... but I also usually end up killing them too as they too overhear me sleeping... it's really getting tedious..."

"You make me sick" Catwoman narrows her eyes.

"Why thank-you. I really do try to make a conscious effort. Thanks for noticing. It really means..." Catwoman kicks the man across the back of his head while rolled him onto his back as he looks up to her "Oh... Catwoman? You a hero now or something? That's cool... that's cool... to each to their own... I guess. Say, I am kinda dying her, I can barely breathe... could you possibly open a window? It's quite toasty in here" Catwoman kicks him across his face again, and again.

Zsasz spits up blood and smiles "Okay... I can take the hint..."

"How are you still conscious?" Catwoman groans as she delivers another kick to Zsasz face "Just be knocked out already!"

"You kick like a woman, eh?" Zsasz chuckles which displayed his faintly blood tainted teeth "Yet again... you are a woman... so that's to be expected"

"You are literally the worst human being that I know" Catwoman growls.

"Hey, I'm the worst human being that I know too... just the way I li-" Zsasz was abruptly interrupted as a metal baseball bat was rammed down onto his face; cracking his nose. Zsasz was left in a daze, unable to speak or even move. Catwoman looks up to see an annoyed Harley who also wore who own oxygen mask with a clear vizor.

"Ya were goin' for 'is jawline... rooky mistake. Always go for the cranium... that always does the trick" Harley informs Catwoman in a playful tone. They both look ahead to the tear gas that was slowly fading "We betta finish this up quick" the blonde and the dark-haired woman runs ahead.

Harley hangs her bat low and swings it at one of the goon's legs; knocking him off balance. She stomps on the back of his head with her boot. She then leaps off in a small hope and rams the bat across another thug's face; making a bunch of teeth to fly out of his mouth. She twirls on her heels and whacks another thug in the stomach. She then rams her head forward and headbutts him. The man was knocked onto the ground. Harley grins "Damn that felt great..."

Catwoman claws her way through a group of blinded thugs who held their eyes tights. She cuts across their shoulders, chests and legs. She stomps her boots down on one of the men's foot and headbutts him, clawing again at his chest, kicking upward and kneeing his stomach. She lifts her arm and rams it back into the nose of the guy behind her "I almost feel bad for how unfair this is for them... almost" Catwoman calls out to Harley.

"Are ya kiddin' me? This is great for working out my anger issues... I am lovin' this!" Harley slams her bat down over one of the thug's head; knocking him down to the ground. She runs and slides on the ground and swings her bat across another thug's shin. She leaps up and grabs the man's arm and yanks him towards her "I'm even gettin' a little crazy!" she laughs as she bends the man's arm the wrong way and breaks it in two. The thug screams in pain and begs for her to stop. Harley simply shakes her head and pushes him onto the ground on his back.

"Please... stop..." he begs the blonde.

"Ah... that's a shame... I thought we 'ad something goin' for us, don't ya feel it? It kinda feels like this!" she swings the bat downward and onto the man's right foot; cracking it in several places. The thug screams again as he holds his foot and rolls on his side.

"You crazy bitch! I got beaten up by the Bat before and he was never this messed up!" he screams.

"Damn right and doncha forget it" she slowly runs her thumb against the skin of her neck. Harley's eyes look over through the fading fog to see someone run out a door that leads out of the place. A smile slowly forms on her face and she lifts an eyebrow "This should be a lil' fun then!" she takes off after the person as she too runs through the door and heads out into the snow-covered ground of the outside world.

"Hold on a sec. Don't go off by yourself!" Catwoman calls out to the blonde as she rams her first across a thug's face.

* * *

**Outside of Jolly's Toy Factory**

"Keep goin' you snivelling birdbrained dumbass! Don't ya let those minxes get us!" Scarface yells as Arnold Wesker: The Ventriloquist slowly runs as he quickly became short of breath as he is unable to keep going. His age wouldn't allow is so he was rendered to slumping his body across the ground, dragging his feet. The old man had to stop. His body wouldn't move and he was left standing on the spot as he pants heavily. The dummy's head slowly turns to Arnold "Ya dense or somethin'? I said keep goin' you, incompetent dunce!"

"Ever-so-sorry sir! I just can't keep running. I- I can barely breath..." Arnold sheepishly responds in a shy tone.

Scarface lifts one of his thick eyebrows in irritation "Ya gotta be havin' a laugh, right? When I say move it... I mean MOVE it! Quit ya whining and get back to running you, buffoon!" The handler of the dummy nods as he looks begins again, dragging his feet and trying to get as much distance between him and the factory as possible.

The ground was still covered by snow which had mostly hardened into ice by this point as well snow still faintly falls from the sky. The air itself was full of a grey tint to it which gave everything a chilling filling. Once he got to the roads his journey became a much more easy one as the grit and gravel that covered it had subdued and melted most of the snow and ice away. Arnold was running on fumes at that point, his breaths that he took did not give him nearly enough oxygen to support his efforts.

"I can't keep this up, Mr Scarface... I can't... I can't..." Arnold slumps over and gasps "Please forgive me"

"Ah... ya are useless! I should 'ave known ya can't be trusted to do zip! Feel lucky that ya don't have any ammo left... otherwise I would be pumpin' you full of lead myself right now!" the dummy yells as it was clearly pissed at the older man "Or better yet... how 'bout I break your neck!"

"Mr Scarface, please... p-please don't be so mean to me... I have been doing my best..." the old man stutters.

"That was ya best? Bend me over and call me Sally... that what's ya say is ya best work? Thanks, Christ Almighty that you haven't been doing your worst... because then I really would have been screwed over..." Scarface growls. Arnold and Scarface both turn their head as they hear a voice call out to them from behind.

"Aye Scarface say 'ello to meh li' friend!" Harley calls out as she throws her metal stripped bat and bashes it across the dummy; cracking the right side of its wooden face. Arnold Wesker tumbles backwards in shock as he falls on his back on a pile of snow. Harley grins as she picks up her bat and then spins it in her grip "Get it? Yer called Scarface... so... so I said that line, kinda clever, right? Really? Nothing... everyone thinks that they are a comedian theses days..." the blonde puffs a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Ya crazy Trixie! Are ya out of ya bloody mind!?" Scarface screams, trying to lift up his right eyebrow through the cracks in his head make that movement impossible. Wesker slowly lifts his right hand and adjusts his glasses to sharpen his vision "Please Ma'am... I give up... please don't hurt me... I beg you... I give up..."

"Eh... what?" Harley's eyes switch between both the old man and the dummy "Somethin' ain't right here..."

"Damn right it's not! Ya crazy bitch just tried to make worm meat out of me! You are bloody crazy!" Scarface narrows his eyes "Here I was just tryin' to make an ordinary deal for weapons. I wasn't double-crossin' no one, I kept my end of the deal an' all and here ya come with ya lil' minx of a friend to destroy it! And to top it all of... you club me in the face with a metal bat when I was runnin' away and not hurtin' anyone!" the dummy snarls.

"W-what? Okay... I am super confused... are you a sad old man or a jerk... this is gettin' hard to follow... unless..." Harley's eyes light up as she claps "Oh my god... you're a ventriloquist aren't ya! Ah I always wanted one for my birthdays when I was a tiny little girl... but no... mom always went with a clown..." the blonde shrugs as she knees down and reaches out with her black fingerless gloved hand and taps Scarface "You nearly had me for a second... I almost thought that the dummy was actually sentient... wow... how dumb, right? THERE is NO way that a dummy could be ali-." Scarface was propelled forward and trapped one of the woman's fingers in its wooden teeth.

"Aggghhhh" the blonde yanks her hand back "Ah! The dummy bit me! WHAT THE HELL?" she jolts up and lifts her bat high over her head "Ya little bastard!"

"No... wait, please!" Arnold lifts his right hand up as a shield "Mr Scarface didn't mean it, he didn't mean it... he just doesn't like being called a dummy..." the man quivers in fear as the towering blonde with the pale white face as her eyes narrow.

"Awe please... she ain't got the marbles to do it!" Scarface scoffs.

"THIS IS NOT COMING TO MY EIGHTH, NINTH, TENTH, ELEVENTH OR EVEN TWELFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY!" she uses all of her upper body strength to swing her bat downward and crushes Scarface's head under the force; crushing it inward of itself. She swings her arms back up over her hand and slams them back down again as the bad crushes the rest of the dummy's head "THIS IS FOR MY MOM HIRING THE SAME GODDAMN CLOWN FOR SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW... EVEN THOUGH I AM SURE THAT HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO BE AROUND KIDS AS PART OF HIS PROBATION!" she swings down the once more and this time the bad breaks through the remains of Scarface and crushes the old man's left hand, shattering all of its bones in one swoop.

Arnold looked up in horror as he slowly turns his head to see the broken remains of Scarface along with his broken and mangled hand "Oh my... you killed Mr Scarface... you killed him... oh my... thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you!" the frail old man looks back up to the blonde and ceases his words as he still sees the anger in her eyes as she winds up another swing with her bat "W-what are you doing miss? Mr Scarface is dead, he was the threat... not me... I didn't want any part in this... he... he forced me... he made me..."

"It's nothin' personal ya geezer. Nothin' personal at all. It's just... some time ago a wise man got into my head... and made me realize that I love killin' things... it helps full the empty feeling that I have always had... I've tried to fight the urge to hurt others... I really have tried to fight it... but sometimes... I just can't... I just can't seem to care... and in those times... I love hurting people... I love it!" Harley laughs as she whacks her bat back down and crushes Arnold's other hand; breaking it too "As well you just pissed me off..."

"PLEASE, ENOUGH...PLEASE..." Arnold cries as he looks at his dual pair of mangled hands "... Please don't do this young lady... please..."

"*Young?*" Harley flutters her eyes "Why... thank you..." she flashes a quick smile before returning back to her angry gaze as she takes another swing with her bat. Arnold stiffens up and closes his eyes. Harley's eyes widen as a whip was wrapped around both of her wrists. The blonde was then yanked backwards onto her back as she looks up to Catwoman standing over her. The dark-haired woman flashes a glare down at the blonde and hurries over to Arnold.

"Jesus, Harley... what the hell did you do?" Catwoman hisses as she looks over the mentally-broken man who was crying on the ground "Harley... what the hell did you do!?"

"What's yer problem?" Harley jumps to her feet and rubs over her right shoulder "I was takin' care of him before ya lost it and floored me! Now if ya don't mind... I need to finish it an' make sure that he doesn't get up" she strafes forward only to be stopped by Catwoman who placed herself in the way between the blonde and the grounded man. Harley narrows her eyes as she looks up to meet Selina's gaze "What do ya think that ya doin'? Get out of my way"

"He's no longer a threat... you made sure of that..." Catwoman snarls at the blonde "I saw you, Harley... I saw you were about to kill him... if I didn't get here in time... you would have crossed a line, one that we shouldn't cross"

"Well maybe ya shoulda let me... at least then we wouldn't be dealing with a crying old man" Harley lifts her bat and holds it over her shoulders "Plus... I wasn't actually gonna kill him... I am just following your lead and the example that ya were setting for me... sure he might have been hurtin' like hell... but he would have recovered... eventually"

"My example?" Catwoman asks perplexed and offended by the other woman's words "I don't do this, Harley! I don't go needlessly go beating on guys who already down! There's a line and a limit, Harley and if you want to keep working with us... you better learn it. We need to be better than this. We have to be better than this"

Oh, really?" Harley chuckles "So ya fine with cutting up guys with your claws and using tear gas to damage their eyesight is fine but making sure that they stay down is takin' it too far? Ummm hellloooo? Remember Zsasz a few minutes ago? Ya were happy attacking him when he was down... ya only stopped because I had to step in and finish it. No offence but ya sound like ya don't even buy this whole *We are better than them" shtick thing that ya are preaching... considering ya only apply it when it best suits ya"

"Don't act for a second that you think that you know me... because you don't. What you did here was beyond excusable" Catwoman turns around to look at Arnold "As much as hate to admit it, Talia may have been right in saying that I shouldn't have brought you on board... you're inexperienced... and it seems that you can't even control your temper. Maybe you should go back home, Harley. Spend some time with Harvey and take some time to clear your head and get yourself sorted out... you need to learn to control yourself"

"Maybe ya need to learn to let yourself loose sometimes... seriously... all this *hero* speech doesn't fit ya. Last time I checked... you were a mass thief that steals from anyone she can to get a quick paycheck. This whole *tough* act. It kinda sounds like something I imagine Batman sayin'. Ya are goin' on 'bout how I don't know ya... but I got a sneaking suspicion that maybe ya don't even know yerself" Harley shrugs as she smirks "Just sayin' that yer' not really have a pedestal of moral superiority yerself either... Trust me on this... I am a psychiatrist. We tend to know where we're talkin' about"  
"I said enough!" Catwoman spits "Go home"

"Fine, whatever... see ya tomorrow" Harley turns and skips away "Hopefully then ya won't have a tree-sized stick stuck up ya ass!" Catwoman holds her hand on her hips as she dismisses the blonde's words.

Above on the rooftops, a silhouetted figure stands dressed with a cape and with a pair of pointy ears on top of their cowl. They stand with their arms resting by their sides as they looked down to Catwoman and Harley who was skipping away from the scene. The figure has a red bat symbol on their chest and had a feminine figure. Her right fist was covered by a red armoured shoulder-length glove which held a metal a Batarang with red stripes across the wings of it.

* * *

**Wayne Manner -**

**The Next Morning**

Bruce leans back on the couch of the living room with Alfred standing behind him "You know Master Bruce when I said that I wanted to try and get you out of the room of yours... I didn't mean for you to just down here and do the same silent treatment." Alfred walks around and places down a silver tray over the table. Bruce glances down to the tray and sees a cup of coffee and a small salad "I know how you haven't been feeling that hungry lately... so I thought that instead of wasting my time and the food... I should just make something small... something bite-sized"

"Thanks, Alfred" Bruce goes to reach up to the cup on the trey, struggling once his hands got close to it. He tries to lean forward but was swiftly drawn back by the sharp pain that shoots through his body. His back was aching... hurting like hell even after all this time. Bruce winces in pain as he repeats his action, reaching out to the cup. He was once again stopped as the pain flared up once more and forced to return back to his previous position. He growls as he lifts both of his hands and runs them through his hair.

"Lighten up, Master B" Alfred leans over and hands the cup over to Bruce "Doctor Tompkins said that your recovery could still take months... even years. There is no need to lose your temper, no one is expecting you to just recover so fast. You are only human after all..."

"I know, Alfred. That doesn't make me feel any better though..." he sips from the cup "Everyday I am reminded that I'm only human, every day I am told to not to worry, not be concerned with my recovery. I have been told again and again that I may need years to fully get back on my feet. How can I forget that when I am constantly being reminded of I am just a regular guy... that I am nothing special... after a while it begins to sink in" Bruce rolls her eyes "And it's made even worse by the fact that while I am sitting here... unable to walk or do anything to help, Gotham is full lunatics and now those Checkmates Soldiers who are treating criminals and innocents alike... so no, Alfred... I am not going to *lighten up*. Not when innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire"

Alfred holds his arms behind his back "If you insist, Master Bruce. I know that my words may be falling on deaf ears... but have you ever considered that right now, the last thing this city needs is Batman? Maybe just maybe... if you can think straight, you may realize that simple old Bruce Wayne can do just as much good for it. Though by different means, you will still be working towards bringing hope to the people of Gotham"

"What the hell can Bruce Wayne do at this point? Show up all broken and unable to walk... if you don't remember, Bane knows who I am, Joker knows who I am. Me going to help in the efforts as Bruce will only put a target on myself and the ones around me... face it, Bruce Wayne is useless..." Bruce says with a hollow tone "My family's legacy means nothing to the city now, nothing to Checkmate and nothing to those maniacs. Bruce Wayne is just a person... but Batman? He's the one that Gotham needs right now"

"If you feel that is for the best... then I will not get in your way. Now if you would excuse me... there are things that I must attend to" Alfred excuses himself and leaves the room which left Bruce on his own. The billionaire sits in silence for minutes on end, he would glance at the Grandfather Clock of the room. Seeing that every time between five and ten minutes pass between each of his glances. Bruce leans back and looks up to the ceiling.

"I can't do this..." Bruce rubs his temple. He steadily leans his body forward and picks up the remote lying on the table and uses it to turn on the television and switches between channels until he lands upon the news. His eyes observes a Jack Ryder, one of the various hotshot reporters that were nowhere near being as famous as they thought that they are. Bruce raises the volume to hear the man's words.

_"- The men were found badly wounded and beaten. Sources are telling us that they were covered in scratch marks and were bleeding heavily. As well some others seemed to be suffering from head trauma and are suffering from the effects of tear gas. Some of the men in question may have their vision permanently impaired, some are suffering other side effects such severe burns all over their bodies. Checkmate is denying having any involvement in this operation and say that they are looking into it. It should be noted that whoever caused this whole thing managed to capture both Arnold Wesker and Victor Zsasz, both known criminals that were previously incarcerated in Arkham Asylum and were apart of the rogue group that was broken out a few months back..."_

Bruce's eyes widen as he observes the images of the two named convicts that were propped up on the screen. The image appears to have been taken after their capture as shown them covered in bruises with their eyes being swollen shut with Zsasz covered in familiar-looking claw marks and with Arnold being covered in yellowing bruises. Bruce lowers his head to the ground and rests his hands over his lap "I need to get back to the city" he thinks to himself.


	26. Mother

**Mother **

* * *

**Star City**

**00: 23**

"Thiz iz zertainly all coming zogether. You'll zee, my plan iz foolproof" a dark voice says, coming from a man standing in the shadows as he looks to the sight before him. Six or so masked men were carrying crowbars and were using them to pry open a bunch of large wooden crates that were covered in the markings of Wayne Enterprise. The man steps out of the shadows and is revealed to be a man with bleached blonde slicked back hair. Wearing a green coloured Victorian styled overcoat over his bare chest which was done up all the way to his lower chest. He also wears Victorian-styled trousers and boots. The man was known as Count Vertigo.

From above on the building that overlooks Count Vertigo and the masked men, stood a figure completely cast in shadows. The person's lips curve into a smirk around his short-cut beard. He lifts his gloved hand over to his earpiece "You ready, beautiful?"

_"I was going to ask you the same thing... - minus the *beautiful part*"_

"You're just jealous and you know it" the shadowed man chuckles as he reaches behind his back.

_"Whatever helps you sleep better at night"_

"Which would be you" the shadowed man pulls out a bow from his back and aims it down to the streets below.

_"Awww... I can't tell whether that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard or the dumbest pickup-line. I'm just going to assume the former. You got the lead?"_

"You know it, beautiful" the man reaches behind his back and pulls out an arrow which he aligns with his bow "Just watch me do my thing!" he fires the arrow into one of the lampposts next to the masked men as a rope was shot back towards him. He steps aside and sees the rope launch onto and wraps around the pipes on the roof. He lifts his bow and holds over the line wire as he begins to zip down towards the ground "You know that this is a whole lot harder than the movies make it out to be? I'm starting to think that they need to add a disclaimer or something"

_"Focus, Ollie"_

"This is me being focused"

Vertigo's eyes sharpen "He'z zhere!" He looks up along with the masked men as a man drops down rolls onto the ground to soften his landing. The man is shown to be wearing a green Kevlar hoodie with black stripes along the sides with the hood lifted over his head. His eyes are covered by a green eye-mask. He has blond parted hair and a well-trimmed beard that points down at the bottom. He also wears green cargo trousers with a black belt around his waist. The man was Green Arrow, the vigilante of Star City.

"The Green Arrow... what an unpleazant zurprise" Count Vertigo hisses "You really zhouldn't zhave come zhere!"

"Last time I checked it's a free country! Can't a green-wearing, good-looking guy like myself go out for a nightly stroll?" Green Arrow leaps over two of the masked men, dodging an influx of gunfire as he fires an arrow at them. A large net was shot out of it and wraps around two before it unleashes a powerful electrical shock that subdues them to the ground "Alright, alright! I was going to make an electrical pun but that looks like it hertz!" Green Arrow lands and rolls behind the four remaining men with Vertigo.

_"How long did it take you to come up with that one?"_

"Eh... more time than I feel conformable saying" Green Arrow chuckles lightly as he leaps forward and whacks one of the masked men across their face with his bow. He repeats the actions and uses his leg to kick the man backwards "... A lot longer than I should have... I'll leave it there" Oliver nervously laughs as he rams his bow across the same guy's head which forced him down on the hard ground. He kicks back with his right foot which knocked away a guy that was behind him "...Okay... maybe for a whole solid twenty or so minutes, that's it!"

Green Arrow can hear an audible sigh come from his communicator and thusly the other person on the line _"You are unbelievable, you know that?"_

"Really? I thought that it was right in character for me" Green Arrow replies as he rolls out of the way of a cascade of bullets that were fired his way. He leaps over the wooden crates, quickly turning his upper body and launching another arrow towards the men that were firing at him. The arrow was propelled towards one of the firing men and shot into his chest which tases him in a flurry of non-leather electric shocks to his body. Green Arrow lands back onto his feet, kneeling on the ground "Huh, I wonder watt his problem was..."

_"Please stop, please just... just stop, Ollie_" the female voice replies through the earpiece with a groan.

Green Arrow shrugs as he for a split-second stands straight up and fires a third arrow at the remaining masked men. The arrow was launched behind them and hit the ground behind the masked men. One of the thugs smirks "Ha! Ya missed!"

The arrow then explodes which rockets the masked men up in the air and throwing them harshly on the ground. Green Arrow shrugs "I. Don't. Miss". He turns his head over to where Vertigo was stood before but he found that he had vanished from sight "Eh... that can't be good"

"You would be correct in your azzumption, my archer friend," a voice says from behind Green Arrow.

The archer's eyes widen as his vision slowly becomes blurred and he begins to feel nauseated, sickly even. Green Arrow falls to the ground as he holds the back of his head "Agh… crap... I somehow forgot about that he could that for a moment..." he groans.

"A dire mistake, one that shall cozt you your life... I waz hoping to get tonight off without a hitch, but this? I couldn't have dreamed for a better zcenario" Count Vertigo walks around to the front of Green Arrow. The bleached-blond man pulls a fin sword from his side "Zhis waz your lazt hurrah"

"I think there's someone who would disagree with you on that" Green Arrow grunts.

"Oh? Who would zhat be?"

"My fiancé" Green Arrow laughs.

"Zhat?" Vertigo questions but before he had time to act, he was suddenly hurled away from Green Arrow as a lout, screeching noise filled the area. Count Vertigo stands back up and sees a blonde woman dressed in a black leather jacket over a black leotard. Black fingerless gloves and fishnet tights with black boots. The woman's hair was shoulder-length and her eyes were blue. The woman smirks as she leans her upper body back and unleashes a deafening screech that knocks Vertigo back, making the man's ears and nose bleed.

"Thank you, beautiful!" Green Arrow jumps to his feet and reached behind his back for his bow and aims at Vertigo "Love you!" he calls out to the blonde woman as he fires an arrow at Vertigo, launching the arrow in the man's chest which tases him; rendering him unconscious. Green Arrow walks towards the blonde woman as he returns his bow to his back "Great. Now we can look into these shipments. Since he was trying to steal them... you know it's going to be good"

"For someone who almost died back there... you are remarkably calm" Black Canary comments as she follows the archer to the wooden crates.

"Ah... you get used to it" he reaches down and picks up one of the crowbars "After the few dozen times... the threat of death really becomes no big deal" he jams the crowbar between the wood and pries it open. The crate opens and Green Arrow sees what was inside.

Black Canary whistles as she sees a metal box with Checkmate written all over it "That's strange. Why would they ship a Checkmate property and try to pass it off as if it belongs to Wayne's company?" she asks slightly confused "That's what I call going the extra mile"

Green Arrow leans in towards the opened crate "The better question is that why is Checkmate shipping out here, to begin with, let alone using Wayne Enterprise as a cover. I thought that Gotham City was under martial law? Nothing goes in or out without the bigwigs knowing"

"There's some foul play going on here. Maybe you should check to see what's inside?" the canary advises. Green Arrow's hands reach out towards the handle of the lid. He pushes the container open with both of his hands as he and Black Canary look down to what was inside. The blonde woman lifts herself up on her heels to give herself a better look "That...was not what I was expecting" she comments as she and Green Arrow's eyes look at a bunch of mechanical parts "What the hell even is this?"

"Whatever it is... I got a feeling that I will find the answers in Gotham"

"Really?" Black Canary looks to Green Arrow "And just how are you going to get there? That place is locked down tight"

"I'll make a phone call"

* * *

**Gotham**

**\- Iceberg Lounge -**

Oswald Cobblepot: the Penguin Is sitting around a round table. He looks both ways and sees other people sitting around with him. Edward Nygma, Bridgit Pike, Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tech all look around to each other, not making eye contact with an exception being Scarecrow who gazed into the other's eyes, almost as if he was glancing into their souls. Oswald's eyes land up a set of empty chairs, his eyes slightly narrow "It has been almost half an hour... WHERE THE HELL ARE THE OTHERS!?"

"They're not here, Oswald" Riddler replies.

"I can... I can SEE THAT, ED!" Oswald groans "I SPENT ALL OF LAST NIGHT GETTING MY MEN TO GET THE WORD OUT TO THE OTHERS AND THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO SHOW UP?"

"Maybe you should have invited more people...?" Riddler shoots back "You aren't exactly on good terms with Mr Freeze or Bane... you would have better luck getting the Joker to come here". The man dressed in the green suit looks away from Oswald "... You didn't even both reaching out to Ivy..."

"Ivy?" Penguin slants his front "You mean the *Create tons of deadly spores that can kill us in a really painful way*. The Ivy who hates humans, that Ivy? WELL, I WONDER WHY I DIDN'T INVITE HER! And don't even get me started on the clown!"

"Calm down, Oswald - remember what the doctor said?" Ed asks the other man.

Bridgit Pike clears her throat to get the men's attention "Enough with this! Why the hell did you call us here? Being surrounded by all this cold air... it feels like I'm being bear-hugged by Freeze" Firefly says in a raspy voice as she looks through her vizor "Just say what you have to and I will happily get the hell out of here"

Jervis agrees with a nod "Agreed, agreed there are other places I must be"

Scarecrow remains silent.

"Very well..." Oswald regains his composure "Zsasz and Arnold Wesker have been captured"

"That's it?" Firefly shrugs "You brought us here because two criminals were bagged by Checkmate? Hardly a surprise"

"Except for it wasn't Checkmate that did it" Riddler fondles his gloved hands together "Going by the injuries inflicted to both Victor and Arnold... they are a similar match to similar occurrences from of other criminals' wounds. Though not a complete match, scratch marks and strong bruising line up identically to those other cases"

"Scratch marks?" Scarecrow blinks "Such wounds would lend themselves to an altercation between them and Checkmate, and from what I have learned. Checkmate is free to use deadly force. For those two to still be breathing there must be another player in the works... one who does not use such lethal force. How fascinating"

Riddler rolls his eyes "I was going to say that... but sure... that is my hypotheses too"

"Just what we needed... another vigilante coming in and ruining our fun" Firefly growls.

"That's not all that I learned... Ed... would you kindly?" Oswald smiles.

"The people who attacked Zsasz and Scarface are believed to be the same people who attacked a Checkmate outpost on fifth avenue a few days back. A few of our men stumbled upon the sight before more Checkmate units could arrive and they brought back an interesting subject" Riddler explains.

"A living specimen? Did you use them for answers?" Scarecrow asks in a haunting tone.

"It wasn't a living one, he was actually really dead - his head was missing" Riddler reaches into the pocket of his green jacket and pulls out a small black device and places it on the table "This is a part of unknown device which was attached to his neck, from the breakage point. It's easy for me to assume that someone must have ripped off the rest of it, this is merely a small fraction of it. From what limited scans that I could do on it, the device shows slight signs of explosive capabilities"

"Those guys have a bomb in their neck?" Bridgit comments "That's good news. Find a way to blow all of their heads off at once!"

"It's not that simple" Riddler replies "I spent a fair amount of time trying to reverse engineer it but I don't have enough to make any progress worth mentioning. Whoever took out that base is likely to have the rest of it which means they too could be looking into it. We need to find out who is behind the breach and get them to hand over the rest of the device, that's the only way that I can use it to blow all of the checkmate's soldiers' heads off... we need a clue or something to the identities of the people behind the attacks..."

Firefly grins "Did you say that whoever was behind Zsasz's capture left claw marks? I think I know who we are looking for..."

"And who pray tell... who might we be looking for, Firefly?" Oswald looks over to Bridgit in a sweaty gaze.

"Catwoman" Firefly announces.

"The thief?" Riddler asks bewildered.

"Yes. A while back I had myself a great gig in Metropolis. I burned down buildings, making it look like accidents and Lex Luthor came in and bought them for dirt cheap. He paid a mouth-watering amount of money for each job... until Catwoman had to come and ruin it. Luthor hired her to steal stone dumb rock and had the nerve to partner me up with her. What's more interesting is that she seemed to have something going on with Batman... almost as if she loved him"

"That could explain Catwoman's choice in switching sides of the law... and the claw marks but that doesn't explain the other signs of conflict we found. Catwoman wasn't never one to use blunt force or throwing stars..." Riddler thinks out loud "If we can find out who Catwoman is... we can use that as blackmail material to have her give us the rest of the device... that way we can dispose of those Checkmate Soldiers... which should leave Waller defenceless"

"Good thinking, Ed" Oswald applauds.

Firefly leans back in her chair "We don't need to blackmail her when we can make her loyal to us... just give me some time to find Ivy and we can use one of her concoctions to twist Catwoman back into working with us... the hero persona has never been her thing. We make her back into the bad girl she is trying to deny"

Scarecrow took notices of Firefly's newfound calm tone "Such familiarity in your voice, you talk like you are well accustomed to her... you know who she is, don't you? You use a relaxed voice with a hint of dread and anger... you were close with her before she wronged you in Metropolis?"

"Stop trying to get in my head you creep," Bridgit says defensively "And yes I do know her... leave it to me to sort her out"

Mad Hatter chuckles "You seem peeved here should I brew you some tea? I always find it comforting, oh yes I do"

"Give me some time to find Ivy and Catwoman will be playing for us" Firefly comments as she looks at Oswald.

Cobblepot grins and slowly shakes his head "By all means... be my guest... but just in case Ivy kills you... TELL ME WHO THE HELL CATWOMAN IS NOW BEFORE I LOSE WHAT IS LEFT OF MY TEMPER!" he yells out towards Firefly as he slams his hands down on the table "NOW!"

"Selina Kyle" Firefly answers.

Penguin and Riddler slowly turn their heads to face each other. "Well ain't that a kicker?" Penguin says surprised.

"That does correlate with her sudden change in fashion" Riddler sounds hardly surprised.

Oswald regains his grin and stands up, looking at Firefly "You have twenty-four hours to find Ivy and do whatever you have planned. But the very second that time runs out... I AM GOING TO HAVE HER ASS DRAGGED DOWN HER AND HAVE HER RIPPED APART UNTIL SHE TELLS ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW! She set me back thousands of dollars due to her *superhero* antics... AND I WILL MAKE SURE SHE SUFFERS EVERY WAKING SECOND OF EVERY DAY UNTIL I AM HAPPY! Understood?" Oswald's now reddened face finally begun to relax "twenty-four hours... not a second longer.

"As much as I want to watch her squirm... she is more useful to us alive" Firefly agrees to the man's terms.

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise **

**Lucius' Office **

Lucius sits behind his desk as his eyes scan through images on his laptop. He curves his fingers and scrolls down with the mouse pad. His eyes reflect the black and white blurred images. His eyes focus on a blurred silhouette gliding between rooftops. The image was eerily familiar to him, his sharp vision did the best that it could to make sense of the less than desirable quality of the photos. He could barely make out a pair of pointy ears on the thing's head and what looked like to be a cape extended outward.

One of the strangest details was that Lucius could almost see something that resembled hair coming from the back of the figure.

He slightly jumps as he hears a knock at the door to his office. He shuts the laptop and looks towards the entrance to the room "Come in." The door to the room was gently pushed open and Lucius sees a woman walk in with long brunette hair down to her lower back and who was dressed in a black form-fitting sleeveless dress. "Talia? Lucius greets as he stands up from his chair. He sees that the woman was holding a group of folders which were bound together with a single elastic band.

"That for me?" Lucius attempts a joke, just remembering that the woman wasn't never really one for humour.

"Almost" Talia walks over and places the folders onto Lucius' desk "These need your signature. The rest of it is already done"

"You aren't having me signing away my soul are you now?" Lucius paces around his desk and runs his digits over the top folder.

"On the contrary... this is an attempt to regain my own soul" she holds her hands against her hips "I hate to be like this now, especially with how much other people are suffering at the moment. I almost feel like I am disregarding their pain and sorrow in pursuit of my own resolve"

"Sounds serious" Lucius observes the files placed inside the first folder "What is this...?"

Talia lowers her head "I have been thinking over a lot of things in recent times, some good... but most bad. I let my admiration for my father blind me to the horror's he committed, the innocent lives that he took, the pain that he inflicted... I have to live with the fact that I am only here because of him. I was only brought into this world because of him, I'm only standing here today because of him, that I only met Bruce... because of him... I feel sick that there is even a single part of me that feels indebted to him for that..."

"You can't blame yourself for him being your father. You don't have to be like him - take it from a father. My little Luke is the complete opposite of who I was at his age. He is better behaved and smarter than I ever was as a kid. Luke has become someone who I can say that I proud of... he's the best parts of both me and his mother in one kind and gentle person" Lucius caringly tells the woman stood in front of him "Ra's failed you, Talia... you had nothing to do with it the atrocities that he has caused"

"Thank you, Lucius. Your words mean a lot... I hope that one day your son will become the man that you are"

"I don't want that, Talia... every parent desires to see their child become more than them. It's not our role to lead the next generation so that they will someday follow in our footsteps, rather it up to us to make sure that they can leave their own mark on the world... that is what I want for my son... that's what I want for my Luke" Lucius looks down back to the files "Miss Al Ghul may I ask just what this is? This is a lot of money... what could you possibly want to do with it?"

"Fix my father's mistakes. My father lived for centuries thus the league of shadows reigned for just as long... in that time... my Father had gathered all kinds of powerful individuals behind him... some very wealthy men and women. I need you to use this money to help the people of Gotham... whether is for food or shelter... just do something with it, please"

"Talia..." Lucius lifts his head up to meet the woman's eyes "Wayne Enterprise and even Bruce have already allocated funds towards helping Gotham and it's people recover"

"Please, Lucius. Please just use it. I need to know that you will do this... I need to know that out of all the horrors that my father has done, at least something good can come from it. This won't redeem my family... I know that... but maybe... just maybe... one day... I will be able to sleep easy again" Talia held back tears "My sister is dead, Lucius, my father is dead... I have no family... no one to turn to... no one to understand me... how I am feeling"

"You're not alone, Talia. You have friends here. There are people here who care about you and your wellbeing... me, Selina... Bru-"

"Please do not finish that" Talia interrupts "I forfeited his trust some time ago, I don't deserve his kindness nor even his attention. I withheld information that would have made Bruce's life a whole lot easier. It was my fault that was as broken as he was... it's my fault that he went to face my sister on his own... it's my fault... it's my fault that he almost died... just because I was too selfish to tell him the truth about Alfred... I made a cruel game out of it and now... Bruce is broken... both mentally and physically... people are dying out on the streets... just because of my selfish nature..."

"If you need me to say it... then I will..." Lucius sits back down in his chair and folds his arms "You made plenty of mistakes, Talia. You made a severe lapse in judgement... but I can see that you are trying your best to make up for it... to right your wrongs... and if I can see that... then Bruce will too... just give him time. He'll bounce back"

"Do you honestly believe that?" Talia asks.

"I don't doubt it for even a second" Lucius reaffirms.

* * *

**Across Gotham**

**\- Selina's Apartment -**

Selina sleeps on her front as her head was crashed out on the stack of red velvet pillows. Most of her body was covered by the red bed sheets that reach to her shoulders. She was in a peaceful state of mind, relaxed and without any worries. A loud ring wakes Selina from her slumber. Her eyes slowly pry open as she reaches over and slams her alarm clock. She groans, rolling over onto her back and she looks up to the ceiling, stretching her arms outward and yawning.

She rubs her eyes and curves her knees from under the covers "Why do I somehow feel even more tired than when I got in bed?" she whines. Her green eyes look over as a black cat jumps up on the bed and rubs its head against her right hand "Morning". She strokes the cat before kicking out of bed and jumping onto her feet. She heads over to her closet and pulls out a set of clothes. The black cat follows behind her and meows as it rubs against her leg "Yes, I love you too" she sheepishly says.

After a minute, she was dressed in a black low-cut top and jeans that were tucked tightly with a studded belt. She turns her head to the opposite side of the room where her jacket is hanging by a coat hanger. Her attention was brought back by the crying cat that was rubbing its head across her legs again "Alright, alright... girl. I think that I can take a hint, let's see what we can fix you up?" Selina walks over into the kitchen area and reaches into a box of cat food. "Tuna?"

*Meow*

"Tuna it is then" Selina chuckles to herself as she grabs the packet and kneels down to the bowl on the floor. She empties the packet into the bowl and watches the cat eagerly barge in front of her to get to it "Huh. I must have forgotten to feed you last night..."

Selina makes her way into the bathroom and looks into the mirror above the sink. She looks incredibly tired and exhausted with dark bags under her eyes. She slouches over and grabs the sink "All these late nights are killing me... I don't give Bruce enough credit... he made this all look easy..."

Her ears prick as she hears a knock at her door "Great... just what I needed... contact with another person... I should have stayed in bed..." she runs her hands through her back hair and makes her way towards the door to her apartment and opens it. That was when she realized something. She was so tired that she didn't even bother to check just who was knocking on her door. She realizes that it could be anyone, any of her friends or any of her enemies. This made her nervous, almost afraid of who would meet her on the other side.

And then she saw it or more accurately, she saw her. A woman with long blonde hair that looks back to Selina with a face that she knew all too well. A face that brought out her most petty and strongest emotions all in one go. Anger, hate, regret and more anger fuels her mind along with some part of her feeling shocked by the sight. Selina saw her standing right in front of her, right at her door and she was looking back at her. The same old face that had caused her so much pain before.

Selina's eyes widen "Mom?"

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

\- **Batcave -**

Alfred rides down the elevator through the cavern beneath the mansion with his arms held behind his back and with a firm glare on his face. He sees that his venture down through the tunnels had ended and he pulls open the mental bar cage to allow entry. Just as he thought, Bruce was sitting in front of the Batcomputer. The older man let out a long overdrawn sigh to which he was certain alerted the man of his presence. Alfred steadily jolts forward with his steps being loudly echoed throughout the lair.

He looks around as he hears the screeches of bats all around him "Master B, I believed that we have discussed this in thoroughly through in detail. Being down here will do you no good and will only serve to increase your already extreme case of brooding" he walks until he is stood beside the sitting man "Come on, son. Come back up with me... being up there, being surrounded by all the things that make you Bruce will be so much more beneficial than being down here, surrounded by the darkest part of yourself"

"I feel more at home down here than I am up here" Bruce looks up the large monitor.

"I was afraid that you would say that" Alfred sighs.

"Alfred, I didn't spend all of those years driving myself near death and pushing my body to my limit just to kneel down and whimper... even with what Bane did to my back. Even with the progress that I am making... Lee said it could still take at least months to get myself back on my feet - and Gotham doesn't have the long"

"And? What do you plan to do? Lee is a medical professional and she has done her best... I believe that she knows what she is talking about. Unless you have some magical potion that can heal-..." Alfred's eyes narrow and he slowly turns his head to Bruce "... You are going to use the Lazarus pit, aren't you? Have you gone mad, Bruce? That thing is dangerous and well... unpredictable. God knows what it will do to you... remember it drove Ra's bloody insane"

"Trust me, Alfred. I know what it can do to you... I know all too well.

"Precisely why you shouldn't do it. You shouldn't even consider it an option. That thing... that thing is evil, sir"

"I know... but right now... I don't see another way. Selina somehow decided to fight against the criminals of Gotham and nearly killing a man. Checkmate has stepped way out of line and Gotham is in ruins... so please excuse me if it sounds like that I am low on alternatives" Bruce growls.

"This Lazarus pit? It's not quite something that you wait months on before brainstorming. You have been thinking about this for a long time, haven't you?"

"As I said... I know the risks. I know how it can mess with your mind. It's going to be for the greater good..." Bruce replies.

"What about your wellbeing? If you think that I'm going to just let the man that I raised go off and do something... this... insane, then you really have underestimated my love for you. That's not the promise that I made to your parents nor the vow I made to myself. The fact that I allowed you to become so hurt already keeps me awake at night... this thing that you are proposing? It may just destroy whatever is left of my conscience..."Alfred argues.

Bruce turns in his chair to face Alfred "So what? Are you saying that I should sit back while innocent people are dying? That I should just give up on my promise to my parents?"

"That's not what I am saying, Bruce. I just think that there must be a less extreme way to go than the Lazarus. Think of the ramifications that it could bring, the breakage to your mental state. You have no idea what will happen if you use it. I implore you to seek another way"

"There isn't" Bruce narrows his eyes "Believe me. I wish that there was..." he lowers head and looks to the floor "... I'm sorry, Alfred. I didn't mean to lose it there. I know that you are only looking out for me but I'm looking out for Gotham just like my parents would... I just can't stand being... so... useless..."

Alfred kneels down and rests his hands over the man's shoulders "That's just the thing, son. Batman may be out of commission but Bruce Wayne? He is just as needed and he can be there for Gotham. You spent so much time with the cowl on... that you came to think of it as your one true face. Right now, Bruce Wayne is the mask you need... he needs to be your face" Alfred speaks softly. Bruce slowly turns his head towards a glass case which held the Batsuit on display.

* * *

**\- Selina's Apartment -**

Maria Kyle, mother of Selina is seated on the couch. Her body slightly slouched over while she keeps her eyes lifted on her daughter. Maria could feel the anger in her daughter's eyes in which Selina made no active effort to hide. It was silent between them, neither of them taking the first step to begin what would most likely be a dry interaction between the two. Selina stood with her arms crossed as she leans against the window of her apartment.

Maria slowly glances over to Selina as she finally decides to make the first move "Your hair. It's..."

"Not like you? I know" Selina was all too quick to dismiss Maria "What are you doing here? Do you need to trick Bruce into giving you and Cole a couple more hundred grand?"

"Cole's dead, Selina" Maria gulps.

"I don't trust a single word that you say. So don't go wasting your breath" Selina firmly shoots back "Let me ask again. What the hell are you doing back in Gotham?"

"I'm not lying, Selina. Cole's dead... and I'm as good as dead too... there's someone after us- me... someone who doesn't stop, doesn't tire... I came here to see you, that's it" Maria replies distraught as she keeps her eyes on her daughter "You have no reason to believe a single word that I say, I understand that. And I deserve that too, but I just wanted to see you... just in case that it would my last time that I ever got the chance. I don't want your boyfriend's money, Selina... it's too late for that now. They're out for blood"

"Really? Just who is after you?" Selina asks with an uncaring tone "Did Cole piss off the mob or something?"

"Cole has always had a gambling problem... but it's always been something that he could handle... until... As soon as He got the money from Bruce..."

"You mean after you used me to get to Bruce so that Cole could make him give you the money" Selina hisses.

"Yeah... I do..." the mother lowers her head "He was only going to use his half as we agreed... but the first times... he got lucky. He won millions upon millions... thus he began betting more and more... until it was with money that we didn't even have or were never near having. Cole was happy doing what he was doing... oh god... I should have stopped him before..."

"He lost the money didn't he?" Selina shrugs.

"Yes... before I knew it, he was in nearly five million dollars of debt... we had no choice... we had to get a loan from someone... someone who wouldn't view our criminal records or just someone who didn't care. So without telling me. Cole went to one of the biggest loan sharks he knew... Carmine Falcone. Apparently, Cole did some work for him back in the day so Falcone was happy to lend us the money... of course... he wanted it back..."

"Falcone? You went to Falcone...? One of the biggest crime lords in the history of Gotham? Um... he's dead. How the hell would he get you to give the money back?"

"Carmine wasn't the one who had Cole killed. Once his daughter took over his empire... she went about collecting on unpaid debts... whether that was in money... or blood. Cole and I managed to keep out of her sights for years... until recently... a few weeks ago. Sophia hired someone who managed to kill Cole in a massive crowd with no one seeing the shooter. I've been running ever since then... and now I'm here. Whoever she hired... they're good... they're always on my trail... they are like a machine... never getting tired or slowing down..."

"And you want my help?" Selina scoffs "Like hell. You weren't there when I needed you, you betrayed me and used Bruce for his money. You chose Cole over me, your own daughter!" the woman hisses "You have some nerve showing your face here! Coming here and expecting me to help you... after all that you have done? Why? WHY THE HELL DID YOU COME BACK HERE!?" Selina screams at her mother with a now reddened face "YOU DON'T DESERVE MY HELP!"

"I don't... I don't want your help, Selina. Even if you wanted to help me... there's nothing that you can do. Cole ended up killing the first guy they sent after us... Sophia isn't playing games and she isn't trying to get the money back. She wants me dead... and the guy she sent after me... he's going to find me sooner or later... that's just what he does. Sophia treasures one thing more than money... and it's respect. I'm basically dead already. Right now... I'm not asking you to save me... I just want to spend the last part of my life with the one good thing I brought into the world... you"

"Tough. You lost the right to spend time with your daughter when you threw her under the bus for your boyfriend. Believe it or not, it's not always about you" Selina walks over and grabs her jacket from the wardrobe "Do me a favour and get the hell out of my apartment before I make you leave"

Maria weakly nods, slowly rising to her feet and hands in pockets "Selina... I understand how you feel. But you're my daughter. I love you more than anything... I'm sorry that it only took the threat of death to show me that. I'm not seeking forgiveness, just repentance. I just want to fix my mistake..."

Selina's emerald eyes narrow "I'm not a mistake. And if you really did understand how I was feeling... you would have never stepped foot in Gotham again. I don't know how you managed to get in the city and past all the checkpoints but I suggest you go back the way you came"

"I can't" Maria replies honestly "I used every bit of the money I had left to bribe a Checkmate soldier into transporting me in. There's no going back..."

"Gotham is a big city... go find somewhere else"

* * *

**Gotham General **

Jim stands outside the entrance, just within the confines of shelter from the snowfall. Dressed out of his Checkmate uniform and instead, wearing a blue suit with a brown overcoat. He looks out to the icy roads which were plastered in gravel and a line of Ambulances. He tilts his head as he sees someone walk up beside him. Harvey Bullock folds his arms "Zsasz and the old man in custody... and it wasn't even us. We're both thinking it so I better just come out with it... do you think it was *you-know-who*?"

"No. It was too violent... even for him."

"I was thinking the same thing, Jim. So we most likely have someone else trying to be a vigilante" Bullock affirms with a daunting frown.

"No. From the signs of their injuries... it looks like we are dealing with multiple parties here. Some of the men were covered by claw marks and the others only had broken bones... none of the injuries seemed to overlap. There could be at least two individuals involved... with neither of them having as much self-control as the bat. And also, it appears that last night wasn't their first rodeo" Jim replies as he lights of a cinerite and begins to smoke it.

"What do you mean by that, partner?" Bullock responds a little too eager which drew Jim's attention.

"The tear gas that they used? It was a specially altered variation only used by Checkmate. Word out on the street is that a couple of their outposts have been raided. At first, I thought it was just a bunch of cocky thugs... but evidence points to the contrary. None of the men was killed... some were in worse shape than others. But everyone appears to be alive... even Zsasz..." Jim explains.

"What about that *Scarface* guy? Wasn't he found away from the others... bleeding heavily with the remains that scary-ass dummy? If he managed to get a running start... he might have actually caught a glimpse of the culprits. Plus with his injuries... it looks like he got the worse out of it. Even with him being a criminal, what kind of whacko would beat on him that bad?"

"I don't know. One thing is sure... if we can figure this out, there is no doubt in my mind that Waller is already looking into it. Once he is awake we might be able to get something worthwhile out of him. Maybe some information on the people responsible for this" Gordon suggests with a deep inhale.

"He will most likely want a plea deal for talking" Bullock brings up as he moves aide as allows a few paramedics walk into the hospital "Beforehand, we would have turned down any plea deal request from those lunatics but with Waller around... who knows what she is going to do to get to the bottom of this. Of course... there is always Zsasz"

"Waller is not going let us get within a foot of him"

"You got a point there, Jim" Harvey takes off his hat and holds it to his chest. He looks out to the soft snowfall. He waits a moment before speaking up "Are you okay? I can understand how this whole thing can be stressful for you. With everything going on, it just seems that I haven't asked how you are for a while. I miss when things were a lot simpler"

"Things were never simpler, we just had cleaner consciences once" Jim turns his head to Harvey "Waller is puppeteering me into doing her dirty work. She is holding my family's wellbeing at gunpoint. Dent and Harleen hate my guts and Bruce...? He would be disappointed in me... even Lee feels that I betrayed her. She hardly ever talks to me... and when she does... I can tell that she doesn't want to. I can't blame her though..."

"Looks like you have the whole world against you, Jim" Harvey places his hand over Gordon's shoulders "I've seen you in this situation before... and I know no matter what I say will stop what comes next, but Jim for the love god... please don't be planning on doing anything stupid. You need to be calm... trust me... Waller will get what is coming to her... eventually..."

"Bit ominous, Harv…" Gordon comments as he throws the cigarette to the floor and stomps it out "But I agree. Waller does need to pay for what she's doing. The law should be used to retain order, not be used to victimize people. When she loses my family as a bargaining chip... is when she's going down along with all of her buddies"

"Amen to that" Bullock agrees.

* * *

**Wayne Enterprise **

**\- Ground Level - **

Selina walks into the warmly lit tower and sees a crowd of people which consisted of both staff and people off the streets. With her hood lifted up and her hands slid into the pockets of her jacket, she walks past the main desk. Quickly flashing her identification to the woman positioned there. She heads towards the one the elevators. She calls for it and stands silently while it descends down to her level. The doors slide open and she enters while selecting her desired floor.

The elevator arrives near the top of the tower and she exits into the floor. Though she was oblivious to it, she stormed through the area, clearly still angered by her earlier interaction. She had a face of thunder and a cold glare.

She walks into Lucius' office, slamming the door behind her and startling the man.

Lucius slowly closes his laptop and looks up to Selina "Rough day?"

"More than you know" the raven-haired woman pulls down her hood "Have you made any more progress in deciphering that chip?" she walks around and stands beside Lucius. She unzips her jacket and throws it over into the corner and over a chair.

"Afraid not" Lucius rests his head over his hand "As predicted, only having half of it is making it really difficult to decode and examine. The only way to make any notable progress is to somehow get my hands on the other half... that is of course if it wasn't blown up during the explosion"

"Great. Another dead end..." Selina's eyes glance down to the man's laptop "Were you looking for something?"

"Yeah but it's... nothing. It was company-related. Duty still calls... even with the city in the state that it is... we have loads of worldwide investors that don't see our current predicament as cause to cease company activities. And Bruce Wayne's absence from the spotlight has already concerned them enough" Lucius replies.

"Okay... so boring stuff, got it" she leans over "Have you seen the others?"

Lucius shrugs "Talia was her earlier and Harleen hasn't been here today... I'm guessing because of your scuffle with her last night"

"Shit" Selina jolts back and holds her hands over his hips "You saw that? How?"

"I hacked into the security cameras of the factory - both inside and the ones outside... I saw everything... Harleen was out of control, Selina"

"I know. I was there" Selina turns and sits down on the desk "If I didn't get there in time... Harleen could have beaten him to death. She seemed fine during most of the whole operation but I guess... she must have lost it at some point" she folds her arms and crosses her legs "She seemed overly emotional... unstable even."

"She nearly killed a man, Selina" Lucius reminds her "He was begging for her to stop... but she just kept on going... not even caring. It looked like she told him something... but it was impossible to pick up. Whatever it was, it was enough to petrify the guy. That was too close, Selina. From now on you can't take her on missions... she's too dangerous..."

"I know" agreed Selina with a tired gaze "But she is dead set on getting payback on those Checkmate soldiers... if we can bring her with us in a planned attack... she could very well go off and do something even more reckless... she could get herself killed..."

"Goddamnit. I told you that this wouldn't work out. I told you time and time again that it was a bad idea... of she wanted payback... she was angry... and couldn't keep that anger in check and now you have this, Selina" Lucius leans forward in his chair and holds his palms together "Talia was telling you the exact same thing but you refused to listen to us. Why?"

"Because she deserved to get payback on the bastards that hurt Harvey. She was entitled to getting revenge for her friend... what was I supposed to do? Turn her away and let her focus that anger elsewhere and get herself killed...? Those bastards hurt one of our own... and they deserved the pain that Harleen wanted to inflict on them" Selina bites back as she jumps onto her feet "It's what I would do if someone hurt one of my friends... it's what I'm planning on doing, Lucius"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Harley wants revenge on the people that hurt Harvey and I want payback on the guys who crippled Bruce... I only signed on to this whole venture so that I could find Bane and I'm planning to. I'm going to teach him to never screw with the people that I lo-cared about" Selina folds her arms "Unlike Harley, I can aim my anger at one person and I'm letting it build up"

"No... Selina, you know better than to kill" Lucius looks over to the dark-haired woman "Killing Bane won't honour Bruce... you know that. Bruce wouldn't want this"

"I'm not doing this for Bruce, Lucius" Selina disputes with a hiss "This is for me... and if I'm lucky, Jeremiah is next"

"We talked about this, Selina. This isn't the way that Bruce would-"

"I love Bruce but I don't care about his stupid moral code. Bane is a monster and Jeremiah...? He's not even human... he needs to be stopped... he's never going to stop otherwise..." Selina walks across the room and picks up her jacket "Bruce isn't here, Lucius. He's hiding away in his mansion. If he cared... he would be here... and I don't see him anywhere"

* * *

**\- Across Gotham - **

Sophia Falcone sits in a leather chair with her legs crossed and with a phone held against her ear and a glass of wine in her other hand "Are you sure that she's in Gotham now? Really... is that so? No... not yet... you need to make a spectacle out of it... people need to learn to fear me. Yes, watch her closely. Do not let her out of your sight. Keep me posted..." she looks outward of the windows and into the snow-covered skylines of Gotham city "Don't worry... your payment will be plentiful, Mr Wilson"

* * *

**To Be Continued...**


	27. By Blood

**By Blood**

* * *

**12 Years Ago**

A man with greyish-brown hair and wearing a lab coat gently places down a tape recorder on his workbench. The man looked to be in his forties fifties. Kirk Langstrum eases himself as he looks across his workbench to a pile of notes that he had taken along with a syringe full of crimson-like liquid "Doctor Robert Kirkland Langstrum, August thirteenth, eight-forty-seven PM. Journal entry 35. My hypotheses for healing hearing impairment and deafness has become much more feasible now that I have discovered the needed specimen to further my research. The Desmodontinae, also known as vampire bats have shown more response to my tests compared to the other kinds of bats"

"Through months of rigorous and almost endless researching, I feel that I have finally discovered the long-awaited answer that I have been looking for. I have been suffering from impairment with my hearing, I fear that sooner or later my hearing aid will no longer be as effective as it is now. The thought of losing the ability to hear... scares me. Just the lingering knowledge that I will no longer be able to listen to music, talk to my loved ones or hear mundane things such as the cars outside nor the sound of rain pelting off my window frightens me so". Langstrum picks up the syringe and holds it against his right wrist "That is why I cannot wait for approval to begin testing. If my cure can heal me... then think of the good that it can do for everyone else... it's only right that I take the risk myself... it is for the best..."

**Present Day**

**\- Streets of Gotham -**

**9: 23 PM**

"You see the game last night?" a Checkmate guard asks as he and another guard patrol beside each other as they cross the road. The snow-covered streets have all but vanished leaving the surface damp with small chunks of melting ice.

"Nope. I was busy babysitting the civilians. Honestly, one minute later and I would have gunned those bastards down myself... it's not like I couldn't get away with it" the other guard replies which drew a chuckle from the other "All they do is complain... it gets annoying after a while"

"You can say that again. With all the royal shit that this city is in... I would say just purging everyone would do a lot more good at this point"

"Amen to that" the other replies.

Both men jolt as a shadow passes over them from above with a loud screech. They both look up and aim their weapons to align with their sight "What the hell was that?" the right guard questions as he begins to follow the path of the shadow by pacing down a long alleyway "Watch my six" he orders which the other guard nods to. The guard ventures down into the dirt-filled narrow path which was ended by a large gate that separates each side. Unbeknownst to him, a trail of heavy breathing follows behind him along with an outstretched shadow what slowly catches up to him.

_"Any sign of trouble?"_

The guard reaches for the radio attached to his vest and holds it against his mouth "No hostiles are detected, heading back n-". The shadow-like figure swoops down and catches the guard with a loud screech. The Checkmate guard that stood outside the alley hears screams from within the tight space, blood-filled screams full of agony. He readies his firearm and runs down the alley without hesitation. He stops in his tracks when he is confronted by a horrifying sight.

A grotesque leather-skinned like creature with large pained ears and even larger wings is in the alley with him but had its back to him. The creature was preoccupied as it appeared to have it's pointed fangs in the other guard's neck. The horrid sound of slurping and gulping made the standing guard feel sick. Finally losing it, he opens fire on the creature. He lets loose several shots before the creature ripped itself away from the other guard, blood splatters all across the right wall of the alley.

Now wounded, the creature cries out a screech and takes off into the night sky. The guard was now left alone along with his fallen comrade, looking up he sees the creature shooting off into the distance and eventually disappearing from his sight. The Checkmate Solider runs and knees beside the fallen guard, checking for a pulse on his neck. He grabs his radio in a frantic and breathes heavily "10-999, officer down, I repeat officer down. Request medical support, I repeat, needs medical attention ASAP"

"We got your location, please stand by for support - t-minus five minutes"

"Hang in there pal... you're going to be alright..."

**Gotham General **

**\- 23 Minutes Later - **

The doors to the ward are shoved open as four soldiers carry a stretcher which supports the fallen checkmate guard. His helmet was now off which left his face bare. His blond hair was a mess and his green eyes look to be dilated. The veins in his neck were swollen and almost purple-like with a yellow liquid that oozes out of the small holes in his neck. He has bags under his eyes and was sweating heavily, hyperventilating too as his chest paces up and down at an alarming rate.

Leslie Thompkins stands in the ward with her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. Her head turns towards the sounds of the soldiers making their way through the hall. She swiftly makes her way towards the group "What's going on?" she asks in a hurry as she too grans hold of the stretcher "What happened to him?"

"Something just bit him, it looked like no animal that I have seen before. I think it was a bat" one of the soldier answers.

"A bat did this?" Lee inquires as she stops the guards. She takes out her ophthalmoscope and shines it in the guy's eyes. Lee sees the man's eyes barely take notice of the light, the pupils do not even change in shape or move. She leans closer to take a glance at the holes in the man's neck. They looked to be too big for a normal-sized bat to make or any animal that she knew about.

"It was a big bat, more like man-sized, it was taller than me. I think it was drinking his blood"

Lee stands straight and looks at the checkmate guards "Alright. I need you to take him to quarantine. If he was bitten by an unknown creature then who knows what damage that it has caused. I would feel a lot safer if he was kept apart from the other patients"

* * *

**G.C.P.D Precinct **

Jim Gordon sits behind one of the desks in the main hall with Vanessa Harper sitting on the desk next to him with her arms folded over "Really? It's that bad between you two?" she asks the commissioner in a sincere manner. James pouts as he runs his hands through his greying hair. The man's face had aged throughout the last few months. Maybe from all the stress or maybe he was really just getting that old. Finding himself so busy and preoccupied gave him no chance to fully shave, thus there was a slowly forming moustache over his lips with a beard flowing suit though barely visible unless you were up close with him.

"We barely talk, we hardly ever see each other and when we do... she always looks disappointed in me... she never lets me get a word in. She can't even look me in the eye anymore... not that I can even blame her, I hate myself for going along with this... but what choice do I have? If I don't do it, Waller will hurt the people I love... I can't even tell Lee that since that would put her in danger... I can barely sleep at night anymore, knowing that Lee might not be there when I wake up..."

"You got it rough... what about Barbara? What does she think of this?"

"She said the same thing to me as Lee, but with some more... colourful language. Right now her priority is our daughter and that's for the best. I'm in a corner, Harper. I'm either supposed to betray myself and all the people I care about or risk losing the people I love..." Gordon leans over and looks to the floor "... How am I supposed to win in this situation?"

"Sometimes it's less about winning and more about just living to fight another day. Maybe if you bide your time long enough, you might be able to come up with a way to get yourself out of this mess. You need to be careful, Jim. Remember, you don't have your vigilante friend anymore to get you out of rough patches" Harper reminds the man as she looks up to the captain's office "Just don't forget that you still have friends here"  
Jim looks down to his coat as he hears his phone ring. He pulls it out from inside his overcoat and flips it open. He holds it to his ear "James Gordon"

"_Jim. You need to get here now_" Lee's voice tells him.

"Lee? Where are you? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"_First, yes. Gotham General, one of your guys was admitted here and seems to have been bitten by some strange creature. And.. no, I'm not okay. Since your one of the big shots for Checkmate, I thought you should know about this_" Lee's chastising tone booms through her voice.

"W-wait a minute. What do you mean he was bitten by some creature? Did you get any clue of what it was from him?"

"_Not him but one of his pal's described it as being *bat-like*._"

Jim straightens his posture "Lee, listen to me. I think I know what did that to him. You need to get the man to a secure location and keep him separated from everyone else. He could be carrying a dangerous-" he was cut off as Lee speaks up.

"_You seriously think that I wouldn't have thought of that, James? The first thing that I did was having him put in quarantine. I know what I'm doing_"

Jim stands to his feet "I know that you do. I'm coming there, Lee. Do not approach him until I do, understand?"

"_You want me to just leave him to suffer in agony until you get there? That's at least almost an hour wait until you do... I can't do that, even though I hate these checkmate guys. Unlike you, I'm not willing to betray my morals. This guy needs help and I'm going to give it to him_" Lee affirms to Gordon with an annoyed tone.

"Lee this isn't about us, this is about that man being contaminated. You need to trust me..." Gordon reinforces.

"_I did... I did, Jim. So did Harvey, so did Bruce. Come here if you want but just know that you won't be welcomed with open arms_" Lee hangs up without pause. Jim's eyes narrow as he turns his head towards the exit of the precinct.

* * *

**Gotham General**

\- **Several Minutes Later -**

Lee puts on a pair of latex gloves, pulling them on tightly. Her eyes look down to the blond man lying on the bed before her. His breathing was staggered, rough and unfocused. The veins in his neck and arms had protruded, pressing hard against his layers of skin, a bright purple, almost black. His eyes had darkened and were dry. He was sweating more than before which soaked his simple tank top which he was now wearing. His throat looked to be swollen as he was dribbling from his mouth. The marks on his neck had yellowed, almost like it was infected with something with yellow-like ooze leaking out of the holes.

"Alright... let's assess the damage here..." she kneels beside the man and uses an antiseptic wipe to clean the man's forearm. She then takes a syringe from the near-by table and takes a sample of blood from the man "How are you feeling? Can you hear me?"

"Gh-ghh-grrr" the man barely spoke, more like whispered with a strained throat.

"Okay, okay - take it easy, alright? You're in a safe place. Your friend told me that you were bitten by some kind of bat-like creature. I brought you here so that I can run some tests on you so that I can get a good idea of what's happening to you... and how I might be possibly able to help you, understand?" Lee sees the man weakly nod in response. Lee places the needle down on the table beside her and glances back down to the man "I can tell that you are in a great deal of pain. So I'm going to have to put you under anaesthetic for now. You will be perfectly fine so you do not need to worry"

\- **Later **-

Lee sits in the next room over, sitting before a white table as she squeezes a drop of blood from the needle on a glass slide before underlaying it with another slide. She slides them under a microscope and looks down through the lenses. Her right hand steadily twists the dial to zoom in closer to the image of the blood shown to her. Her eyes narrow, her attention grew and she brought her concentration up, ignoring the outside world as she did. Her mind was solely focused on what was in front of her.

Everything looks normal at first, until...

Lee's eyes double-take as she sees the white blood cells blacken as something strange and definitely out of place stuck itself to it. The first thought that came to her mind was the culprit being some kind of bacterial. One that the man hadn't previously been exposed to or protected against. She turns the dial to close-in on the selected cell. She then sees the cell reach out with thin black lines that attach themselves to all other surrounded white blood cells, turning them black and misshaping them, mangling them beyond recognition.

"...What is this...?"

[**The Next Room**]

The man lying on the bed lunges upward in a sitting position. His eyes widen and gasps. The veins in his face all slowly darken and swell. His eyes become blood-shot. He leaps off of the bed and onto the floor as he holds his sides. His spine begins to protrude, ripping out of the flash of his back. Unable to scream due to his throat soreness. His attempts at alerting others to his situation formed in more than a quiet whimper. He pukes up blood, dribbling a puddle of the crimson liquid, soaking his hands and lower body in red.

[**Lee**]

Lee continues with her dumbfounded gaze at the sight before her. She sees that all the remaining white blood cells were infected along with the cells soon following the same fate. She reaches over and grabs her phone from across the table. She dials a number and holds the phone next to her ear, resting it with her raised shoulder, keeping her eyes through the lenses of the microscope. She hears the phone ring and waits for the desired person to answer.

[**The Next Room**]

The blond man's shoulders roll back and bends upward as bones break out further, causing for several streams of blood to flow down his skin, staining it. His ears begin to change, stretching upward and outward into a point-like shape. His face pushes outward, ripping out most of his teeth with sharp thangs breaking out and slicing his thongue open with their length. His fingernails were ripped in half, making room for long, rigid claws that break out at the end of his fingers.

He cracks his neck sideways and looks towards the room where Lee was. She had her back to him and were too focused with her activity. The beast-like man slowly stands to his feet and drags himself towards that room, leaving blood-stained footprints behind. He hears the sound of Lee's phone and the ringing on the other end. It all help him see through the room. The phone blasts sounds waves which helps him envision his surroundings. Lee was marked fully in white along with her phone.

[**Lee**]

Lee sighs out loud, annoyed that she was still waiting for an answer "Come on, James. Pick up already..." she shakes her head "The one time that I want to talk to you for the last few months and you give me the cold shoulder? C'mon..." her eyes soften as she sees a shadow form over her and the table. She then hears rigid breathing and footsteps. She was beyond confused as no one in the hospital at this time should have the clearance to enter besides her... so that only left.

She turns around and is greeted with the grotesque sight of the now deformed man. His bloodshot eyes, his vicious fangs. The bones and ribs ruptured outside of his skin. The oozing crimson liquid that drips from his mouth and his long nails.

Lee let looses one loud soul crushing screams as she rolls onto the ground to avoid a swipe of the guy's claws. She reaches over the table and grabs the microscope and bashes it over the vicious man's head; knocking him to the ground. She frantically craws away, screaming over and over again, putting his lungs to the test. Each cry for help she made only fuelled the man's sight. Each sound she created clued him on her location, powerful sounds waves hit back at him, brightening Lee in a white glow.

"HELP! HELP! HELP! Lee screams as she crawls back and feels her back hit the wall of the room. Her eyes looks back and sees the rabid man slowly crawl towards her. His claws sharp enough to makes marks in the floor "HELP! HEEELLLPPPPP!"

"What the hell is going on in there?!" a voice yells from outside the other room. Several Checkmate Soldiers stood outside and kick open the locked door. One of the soldiers then takes the lead. One that showcased a red coloured Knight over his shoulders as he readies his weapon. The commander runs into the room and towards the cries for help. The commander stops in his track as he sees the sight of the rabid man crawling towards Lee "Stand down! I repeat stand down!" he commands the man crawling towards Lee.

"I said stand down, final warning! I said stop!" the commander calls out.

The disfigured man stops crawling towards Lee and turns his head towards the commander. He growls, drooling blood onto the floor. He jumps to his feet and runs towards the commander. The Checkmate Soldier walks backwards and aims his submachine gun at the man running towards him. The commander unloads his weapon on the beast-like man, shooting him in his torso and chest repeatedly over and over, filling him with holes.

The infected man eventually falls to his knees and then onto his back, bleeding all out on the floor, creating a large pool of crimson red. The Checkmate commander waves his arm over to Lee "Doctor Thompkins, you are to come with me"

Lee was beyond confused. Petrified by the encounter she just had, she was shaking all over, her lips trembling. The Checkmate commander steps over the infected man and towards Lee. Grabbing her arm and pulling her up to her feet "I said move your ass!" He shoves Lee past him and grabs onto her right shoulder as he leads her out of the room. He looks to the other three Checkmate soldiers who surround him and the Doctor "Clean that mess up. I don't want any wet nosed reporters catching wind of this before we even know what this is"

"Yes sir!" the three subordinates salute their commander as they walk into the room with the downed target.

The commander escorts Lee out of the room and into the hall of ward "You want to tell me just what the hell happened back there? How the hell did one of my men become that freak?"

"H-his blood. There's something in his blood" Lee answers.

The commander presses Lee against the wall of the ward "Like what?"

"I'm not completely sure. I'm a doctor, not a scientist. But I'm guessing that's it's some sort of virus. I was told that he was bitten by some sort of man-sized bat. It could be possible that the creature may have passed something onto your soldier. From what I managed to observe, it's super contagious and need's to be disposed of properly. But we can't risk doing that until we figure out how the virus is transmitted. For all I know, burning it will just bring the cotangent into the atmosphere" Thompkins replies.

"Don't worry yourself too much. We are going to secure the body. Freezing the body should cause what-ever-it-is inside him to sleep for now" the commander shoots back as he turns his helmet towards the open door that leads into the room where they were previously.

[**Inside the Room**]

The three Checkmate guards keep their position around the downed man. The one standing in the middle looks over his shoulder to the soldier standing on his right "Get the stretcher, then we can load him up" he commands. The one on his left nods as he walks out and towards the next room. The middle Checkmate Soldier's eyes narrow trough the vizor of his helmet as he sees the floored man's left hand twitch. Kneeling down to the floor-level he examines the man closely "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"Could have sworn that I saw his hand move..."

"Relax will you? It's just the rigor mortis settling in"

"This soon after death? His body hasn't even gotten cold yet" the Checkmate Soldier reaches over and presses the tips of his fingers against the man's pale neck "That's weird".

"What is?"

"I can still feel a pulse. I saw the commander fire like an entire clip into this bastard... how the hell could he even have a-". The beast-like man's bloodshot eyes open as he snarls. The Checkmate Soldiers screams as they jump back "Holy shit! Back up! Back up! Target is still alive, TARGET IS STILL-"

[**Lee**]

Both Lee and the Commander turn their heads to the sound of blood curdling screams coming from inside the room. The Commander runs back inside along with Lee as they see blood splatter across the window that gave a view into the room across from them. The sound of gunfire and blood-filled yelps slowly die down and then stop. The commander readies his weapon and aims it at the door leading into the next room. He steps forward, not taking his sight off of the entrance "Unit 3 report, report Unit 3" he yells.

A disfigured hand grabs onto the door frame and drags the rest of it's body with it. The vicious blond man returns to Lee's view. The man had several dozen holes through his chest and stomach. His one neat tank top that hanging off of him with more bones breaking out of his body and skin. His mouth was soaked in blood along with his teeth. He sets his sights on the commander which increased the rate of which he breathed. His chest pumps up and down and bullet holes in his front slowly decrease in size and fully healing.

"Son of a bitch..." Lee whispers.

The man charges towards the two which left the commander to unleash another storm of bullets into him, covering his body in holes once more. Lee covers her ears from the gunfire which she was stood next to as she sees the rabid man gunned down by a hailstorm of ammo all unloaded in his chest. But no matter how many bullets were shot, he still stood, though stunned by the shots. The commander's eyes look over to the corner and sees the three checkpoint soldiers emerge from the doorway but something was wrong with them, really wrong with them.

They were soaked in blood, most likely their own and their uniform was torn across the top with claw marks and marks over their necks. Their vizors were cracked which left the sight of bloodshot eyes. The commander backs away with Lee "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Run for it!" he runs out of the room, dragging Lee with him. The blond rabid man and the three blood thirsty Checkpoint soldiers chase after them with deafening screeches.

The two run as fast as they can, as fast as their bodies would allow, as fast as their legs could carry them. If their bodies felt overtired and unable to continue, the horror sounds from behind them was motivation enough to keep on going, enough motivation to ignore the desperate please from their body for rest. They both knew as stopping now would mean certain death... or worse. The Commander looks ahead towards a set of doors that block the ward from connecting to the other.

"There! Huff it!" he orders Lee as he grabs her wrist tighter.

"I'm t-t-tr-... I'm tr-tr-trying!" she gasps.

"Geeyyyahhhh" the blonde bloodstained man hisses, head shaking violently as he runs after the two fleeing people.

The Commander and Lee run through the double doors in a panic. The Checkpoint solder steps back and stands against the door to block the four monster-like men on the other side "Now!" he screams. Lee slides across the floor and scans her ID badge against the scanner which locks the double doors. Lee's eyes soften as she lets out one loud sigh. The commander too takes a breather. Though his relaxation was switftly ended as a mangled hand punches through the glass and grabs him by the throat which holds him tight.

Horrifying screeches echo from the other side, one after the other in a sort of chain. As well one of the infected Checkmate guards slams their head against the other side of the door; right against the glass; cracking it more with each impact. The commander's gasps as the hold around his neck toughens up. Lee slowly backs up as she sees the scene, the blood curdling growls on the other side, the bloodshot eyes of the freaks. It was something out of a horror movie.

"Hang in there" Lee gasps as she takes out the syringe from her pocket and stabs it into the infected hands; causing it to hiss and to reluctantly move its hand off of the commander. The checkpoint agent swiftly moves away from the door and leans against the wall, throwing his helmet across the floor and grabbing his throat. Lee steps beside him as she looks back to the four monstrous men on the other side who slammed, punched and scratched against the door.

"That door is made out of steel... it should hold them" Lee tells the commander in a stunned tone.

"My men... look at them... those poor bastards" the man comments, now revealed to be a dirty blond with green eyes. He softly caresses his throat as he looks back at the checkmate soldiers on the other side "Just what the hell is going on?"

"I told you. Whatever was in his bloodstream must be contagious" Lee reminds the blond.

"I know... what I meant was... I SHOT THAT SON OF A BITCH OVER FOURTY TIMES YET HE'S STILL STANDING! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" he yells in a panic.

"I know... I was there" Lee looks to the dirty blond "They didn't cut you, did they?"

"No. But my throat is going to kill in the morning... that is if I am even alive then. You best hurry and evacuate the staff and patients here. Anyone being here is at high risk of infection" the man kneels down and picks his helmet back up "We can't risk letting this thing spread. I'll contact my end and call in a clean-up crew"

"Will do..." Lee turns and walks away from the commander "By the way. Do not let anyone press the evacuation switch, it'll open up every door in this place... even that one..." she looks back to the infected soldiers clawing at the doors "By the way, what's you name?"

"Name?" the dirty blond asks.

"Yes. Name? You have one, right?"

"Trevor. Steve Trevor... now get going" Steve tells Lee as he sees her walk off. He takes hold of his radio "Command, this is squad unit 4B-7 Alpha, request line to Red Queen, I repeat. Request line to Red Queen, confirmation code Zeta 010101 - 0101"

"_Confirmation code accepted, patching you through to Red Queen_"

"Red Queen, come in Red Queen. Do you read me?"

"_This is Red Queen, over_"

"There is a situation going down at Gotham General, code red, I repeat, code red gamma-4 going down at Gotham General, request clean-up crew on select targets, over"

"_Squad unit 4B-7 Alpha, please repeat situation_"

"Code Red Gamma-4 going down at Gotham General, four total infected. Requesting clean-up crew for select targets, I repeat. Request clean-up crew for infected only. All targets are trapped and ready for clean-up" Steve repeats into his radio.

"_Clean-up crew authorized, ETA twenty minutes. Squad unit 4B-7 Alpha, do not let any civvies leave the building_"

"Copy. Over and out..." Steve replies with his eyes being fixated on the four infected on the other side.

* * *

**Outside Gotham General**

Gordon drives up through the main street. He looks out the window and sees several Checkmate Soldiers standing outside the hospital with none other than Waller with them. Jim parks the car and gets out, jogging towards the other officers. Amanda Waller turns her head towards Gordon with an annoyed look yet with a small smirk that contradicts her glare. The rest of her body follows the lead of her head to fully face Gordon as she sees the man close the distance between them.

"James... what brings you to Gotham General at this hour? I didn't call for you" Waller addresses the man.

"What's happening here, Waller? What the hell is going on?" Jim gives his own scowl to the woman, one that didn't tame Waller's nor made her see him as a threat. His ears ring with loud blaring police and ambulance sirens in the distance and some closer, probably he would guess around the corner. Waller and his faces are hi-lighted by the red and blue flashing lights. Jim sees countless more Checkmate Soldiers approach the hospital, all carrying heat and looked to be ready to kill.

"Waller... what's going on?!"

Waller shrugs, brushing strands of hair behind her ear "We have a code Red Gamma-4. A believed biological weapon has been let loose in there. And I've already lost several of my men to it. Apparently the infected share several key similarities with that bat-creature which you failed you capture on your last mission"

"Lee... where is she? Where's my wife!?" Gordon loses his composure and barges past sever Checkmate Soldiers before being tackled to the ground "Lee! Where is she!?"

"She's still in there. C'mon, James. Do you seriously think I would just those people out when they could have possibly been exposed to a virus? Sorry but I'm not taking any chances. No one is getting out until I am positive that they are free from contagion..." Waller folds her arms and lifts head towards the upper floors of the hospital "Lords knows the carnage that this thing could cause if it were to get out. Maybe if you did your job and actually dealt with that creature before... your wife wouldn't be in danger..."

Gordon is left free by the guards and knees up, looking to Waller "What if Lee and the others are contaminated... what are you going to do then? There are over a hundred people in there..."  
Waller's facial expression doesn't change in the slightest "It's not a call that I want to make, but right now. It's a small number of people or the lives of millions more. I'll do what is logical... which doesn't always mean sleeping easy." She turns her head as she hears her name called.

"Strike team ready and waiting for deployment - just give the word" a specialized Checkmate Guard informs Waller.

"Attempt to establish contact first. We need to gauge what we are dealing with" Waller orders.

"Yes, Ma'am" the guard replies, walking off.

Waller walks towards Jim, arms still folded and glare as present as ever "I would offer you a part in the strike team, but I know just how messy operations can get when you have a personal stake in it. I hope you understand why I can't let you be involved in this. Your love for her will cloud your judgment and put your and many other's lives in jeopardy"

"Go to hell, Waller" Gordon stands and brushes himself off "Don't act like you care about anyone but yourself"

"Just get out of my sight, James. Don't go causing any more trouble for us" Waller walks past him. Gordon looks around the area, a group of Checkpoint soldiers were heading down the street from him with one lagging behind the others. Gordon breathes in "Hell with it".

* * *

**Inside Gotham General**

**\- First Floor -**

"They completely sealed off every exit... those bastards," the brunette receptionist tells Lesley Thompkins with a whimper "We're stuck in here with those... those... those things"

Lee rests her hands over the woman's shoulders "Calm down, alright? You and everyone else is going to be fine. Those things are locked inside quarantine... they have no way of getting to us now. You just need to relax and let all of this just blow over. We should be free soon"

"If-if you say so... but what if we aren't? What if they leave us to die?" the brunette tresses.

"That won't happen, I promise" Lee re-emphasises in a positive exterior but with doubt flooding through her mind over her own words. Trevor descends the first flight of stairs to the same level as her. The commander makes his way towards Lee, holding his helmet down by his sides. The dirty blonde's eyes lock onto her, walking forward and butting in between Lee and the brunette's space.

"There you are-" Lee comments with a glare "What the hell did you say to them? They've locked us in with those... things"

"It's standard protocol" Steve answers sharply "Whatever this thing is, we don't know how it's transmitted nor how contagious it is. For all we could know, everyone is this building could have been exposed to it. We can't risk letting this thing out into the city"

"So you are happy just keeping us prisoners here? You can't just trap us in here with those things upstairs. It's... it's... inhumane" Lee disputes.

"Maybe, but it's a whole lot better than those things getting out and infecting the whole damn city. Once my guys have secured this place, nullifying all targets. We'll check everyone, and if they're fine. Then they will be allowed to leave" Steve reinforces his stance. His eyes glare at Lee "I don't like being here either but I will rather be here than cause thousands of people to be killed"

"There are kids here, Trevor. What am I supposed to tell them? That they are locked inside the same buildings as bloodthirsty monsters that want to kill them...?" Lee folds her arms, shaking her head in annoyance at the man.  
"I'm sure you will think of something. Now if you would mind, make sure that no one leaves this floor. Once the strike team gets here... they will see anything on the floors above as a target, understood? Our orders are very clear" Steve orders Lee, stepping closer "No matter what you hear... you must stay on this floor. If you try to leave the building without permission... you will... all of you will be taken out. Just sit tight and keep quiet and everything will be fine. Trust me on this, I don't want any more casualties either"

"Bullshit" Lee cusses "If you cared about people... you wouldn't be working for Checkmate"

"Don't act like you know me. Believe it or not, not everyone that works for Checkmate does it willingly. Most of us don't even want to be here, but we don't have a choice. Some of us have seen things that we weren't supposed, met people who you weren't meant to..." the commander slowly looks away form Lee "... Met someone that we weren't meant to meet." He holds out his right palm open "Key Card"

"What?" Lee's hands reflex into her pockets "That's the only thing keeping those things in quarantine"

"Wrong, it's the only thing keeping me out of quarantine" Steve replies with a glare "Key card, I will not ask you again"

"If... if those things get out... they will..."

"They won't. Trust me" the man gestures with his hand.

Lee's eyes narrow, her lips puck. She bites her lips as she passes the key card over to the commander "...Don't you dare... think of letting *those things through*, because they will be the least of your problems..." she threatens, glaring at Trevor.

"Godspeed," Steve says, grasping the card in his fist, turning his torso towards the stairwell. He walks off away from Lee and begins to climb the gauntlet of stairs. He grabs on to the radio placed on his chest. He leans his down and speaks into it "Command, this is Squad Unit 4B Alpha, proceeding to rendezvous point now. ETA 5 clicks". He slides his helmet back on, tightening the chin strap, ascending high above the ground floor. Lee's eyes track his movements until he leaves her field of view.

"...Hell with it" she says under her breath.

* * *

**\- Gotham General Rooftop -**

**00: 06 AM**

An armoured black helicopter lands on the roof. The rotor gradually slows before coming to a complete stop. Seven Checkmate soldiers leap out of it, holding their weapons to their chest and heading towards the entrance across the roof "Touchdown initiated, heading to the rendezvous point - over" the one in charge speaks into his radio. They enter through the roof and descend through the floors of the hospital until they reach their destination.

They walk through the hallway that leads to quarantine, approaching slowly and with their guard up. They spot another checkmate soldier standing near the locked door. The one in front of the others reaches down to his radio "Squad Unit 4B Alpha spotted, establishing communication now. Appears to only be one survivor"

"Squad Unit 4B Alpha, reporting," Steve says to the six other soldiers making their way towards him "Listen up fresh meat. We have a Code Red-gamma 4 on the other side of that door. We have not identified the biohazard itself so keep helmets on at all times, do not take those things off no matter the circumstances, understood?" the commander tells the other soldiers, turning his head back to the door that blocks off quarantine. The infected were gone from the main hall.

"Second. These things are vicious bastards and fast too. I filled one up with lead and it had no effect, so here is what you are going to do. Aim for the limbs or head. If you can't kill them, lowering their options of movement is the second-best thing. Do not let these things touch you. Three of my men were infected by this contagion in a matter of seconds. There are four targets and seven of us. We should have enough firepower and manpower to stop these creatures... so stick close together and watch each other's backs... we are the only thing that is stopping Red Queen from blowing this place sky high, understand?"

"Yes sir!" the four subordinates salute the commander "Let's take out these freaks!"

"Hold on a moment..." one of the lower-ranked men questions, glancing behind his shoulder "Counting you, Commander. There should be eight of us"

"Really?" Steve asks "Doesn't matter. We'll sort that out later but for now. We need to deal with the targets before Red Queen loses their patience.

The commander takes out the key card from his pocket and scans it with the scanner. A loud beep echoes from the door. The seven soldiers hurry inside, one after the other in single file. Steve scans that card again, to lock the door behind them "Stay vigilante and stick together" Steve says as his looks at the bloody handprints across the walls on both sides of him and the other soldiers. Their eyes slowly glance down to the floor, which left a trail of red footprints that lead down the hall, along with countless other blood trails that lead in and out of every room.

"This looks like it was ripped straight out of a horror movie. Shit, this is disgusting" the soldier behind the rest of the group comments. He turns his head to face each doorway that they pass by, snapping back and forth in a pattern.

As the seven keep at the journey down the hall, so as well did the bloody footprints which look just as unorganized as when they started down the ward. Steve stays vigilant, not faulting from his orbiting gaze at the doorways and the path ahead of him. He leads the rest of the pact, his weapon aimed for usage and his steps were slow and spaced out like he was tip-toeing "Something's not right here. Those freaks were all-but ready to attacks me before... where the hell have they gone?"

"Hopefully off to die in a ditch" another soldier inputs.

"Don't get cocky, these things can tear you apart if you're not careful" Steve replies, he stops as he eyes spot something strange on the walls next to him and his men. The bloodied handprints were changing in size. At first, it was hard to notice but seeing all of them for comparison. The prints of hands were more stretched out and the fingers were almost claw-like. The dirty-blond than sees what's around the corner at the next room. The door was broke open with torn pieces of clothes scattered inside the room near the entrance.

He kneels and grabs hold of clothing, raising in his hand to get a closer look. The material was covered in cuts and looked to be stretched-out like something grew large in a shot-amount of time. Steve's eyes slowly glance up towards the ceiling. His breath pauses and his body stiffens. Above him and the other men were monstrous figures hanging down from the ceiling. Humanoid-like men with stretched out ears and long fangs, covered in tears in their skin and leather-like skin. Their skin was grey-ish and their ribs and bones poked out from their bodies. Their hands and feet wore elongated with sharp-like claws on their fingers and toes. Their bloodshot eyes had tamed and were pure red.

The creatures drool blood onto the floor.

Steve imperceptibly ascends, not breathing nor making any sudden movements. He backs out of the room which the rest of his men followed "Don't. Make. A. Sound" he whispers. He takes one more step back but slips over the trail of blood. Skidding his boots against the floor and echoing the sound throughout the entire ward. The four creature's eyes widen as they screech, dropping down to the ground and sprinting towards the men.

Steve jumps to his feet and runs "Fall back! FALL BACK!". He runs past the rest of the soldiers towards the exit "Get some distance!"

One of the Checkmate Soldiers is tackled to the ground and clawed into by one of the grey-like creatures who scream a deafening screech. The man screams as the infected claws at his back, spreading his blood against the walls beside them "AGH! AGH! AGGGHHH!"

The other three infected follow after the other six soldiers, sprinting and swiping their claws to try and reach them. One of the creatures manages to capture its claws against one of the checkmate soldiers. The beast drags the man back towards him as it launches its fangs into his neck; squirting blood up across the walls. The vicus beast drags the man to the ground as it too claws at its victim, ripping him apart. The two more of the soldiers were brought down by the two remaining creatures.

Steve and the two remaining lower-ranked soldiers stop at the locked door of quarantine, their backs pressed against it as they look out to the bloodbath unfolding before their own eyes "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Steve screams as he unloads his weapon upon the four creatures feasting away "You bloody animals!"

He manages to shoot one of the creatures in their head, knocking them backwards and onto the ground "FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"

The other two soldiers follow orders and aim at the creatures, firing in their limbs and even torsos, but nothing seemed to keep them down. Steve's eyes look onward as he sees the four checkmate soldiers across the hall slowly stand back up but with a blood-thirsty look in their eyes and blackened veins around their face and necks. He then sees the one he shot moments ago stand back up with the bullet wound fully healed. He and the two others were now left inside the hall with eight infected creatures all running towards them.

"SHIT! On me, men" he scans the key card against the scanner and unlocks the door.

He makes it out of the hall and onto the other side but his other men weren't' so lucky. They were pulled back into the hall as they swarmed by the creatures, being bitten, chewed, clawed and scratched all over. Steve's eyes wince as he sees the struggling soldier grasp out, trying to break free of the beasts' hold on him, with one last attempt, he pulls at the leather on the alarm attached to the wall. Then screams after screams until they stop. Steve was left to stare through the glass to the now ten monstrous being screeching and growling as they claw at the door to get to him. His ears hear the loud, screeching alarms signalling danger throughout the floor.

Then the doors were shoved open, allowing the infected to hurry towards the commander. Steve quickly turns on his heels and sprints away from the creatures, getting a couple metres ahead of them, hearing their disturbing yells, their blood cackling screeches.

* * *

**Gotham Gerneral**

**\- Lower Floors -**

Lee Thompkins traverses up the stairs, her hand gently slides against the metal bannisters which were just as cold as it was outside. She lifts on her tip-toes to peek around the corner. Her eyes shoot open as she sees a Checkmate soldier meet her at the top of the stairs "What? Have you done it? Is it safe for us to leave?".

"Lee, It's me," a familiar voice tells her.

"... Jim? What are you doing here?" Lee steps closer to the man. Jim takes off his helmet and holds it to his sides.

"I'm here to get you out. We have to get out of here before Waller does something drastic..." Jim reaches out to Lee's hand. The woman jerks her arm back to avoid contact with him. Lee sees a puzzled look consume Jim's face.

"What about all the other people here, James? Are you seriously saying that we should abandon them? Like hell" Lee spits with venom in her voice "Unlike you, I haven't given up on helping others. You know, seeing you here for a second, you almost made think that you were here to save everyone here... but no. You are here just to get me out... like I'm all that matters here?"

"That's not fair, Lee" Gordon replies in a defensive tone "I know what is causing the infection. A while back, I and a few other soldiers were tracking down a sort-of winged beast that had been linked to a handful of murders. It's highly dangerous, all of us couldn't even gun it down. And now that there is four of them in here...? It's far too dangerous for anyone... let alone someone who has no combat experience" Gordon tries to reason with Lee with which she dismisses with a scowl.

"Too dangerous? Juxtaposed with all the other things I was brought into the middle of? You know... my life was perfectly normal before I met you when I worked in Arkham. My life was never put into danger by some nutjob's scheme nor was I ever caught in the middle of a biohazard crisis" Lee firmly shoots back.

"To be fair, you caused that first outbreak and you chose to be *the queen of the narrows*. So stop acting like everything wrong that has happened to you is somehow my fault. You made those choices, you chose to break the law and you chose to put yourself in those situations, which left me needing to fix your mistakes"

"And you chose to sit back and watch those bastards beat the hell out of your friend. You sat back and let Harvey be beaten within an inch of his life... you stood back and just let Harleen scream over and over for your help... and. You. Did. Nothing. You let Waller control you like a puppet, like a good doggie, You are perfectly happy just standing back while Waller destroy this city as her little bitch! You betrayed me, your daughter, Bruce..., Harvey... and even yourself... so don't start acting like you care about me... because I know you don't" Leslie grabs back onto the bannister and continues to ascend upward.

"Lee... I hate this as much as you - trust me. I'm in an impossible situation here"

"That's never stopped you before" Lee flicks her hair and looks back to Gordon "What did you think was going to go down? Did you think that you rushing in here with arms open to sweep me off my feet and all would be forgiven?" Lee asks.

"I was just trying to get you to safety"

"You've done enough, Jim. Probably too much... maybe it's time that I realized that you're no longer the man that I fell in love with... or even if he ever existed." Lee continues upon her journey. She stops after a few seconds and takes a glance back down to Jim "Recently I have seen a lot of people's true colours... maybe it's my fault for not seeing it sooner. Everyone that I trust always turns out to have a dark side to them... some more blatant than others"

"Lee..."

"If you do want to help then maybe you should go join the other soldiers... at least they are willing to save lives up there. Just don't talk to me" Lee follows up through the stairs with Gordon following behind. Their heads lift up and gaze towards the upper levels. The sounds of screaming haunts the floors and the blaring alarm that echoes, together a spine-shivering sound that was getting closer and closer to them by the second. Lee's hand trembles, backing down the stairs and behind Jim "No..."

"That's not good" Jim soberly replies to the woman behind him.

"James... there's injured on the ground floor. They will be defenceless against them..."

"Go! I'll draw them away - buy you some time... as much as I can" Jim turns to face his wife as he loads his handgun "Keep those people safe"

Lee almost spits at the man's words "Are you crazy? They'll kill you... or worse".

"I need to do this..." Jim reassures the woman, giving a soft smile to her "I love you. I never did say that enough, did I?," he strafes up the stairs and from the company of Lee Thompkins. He can hear himself getting closer towards the sounds of the monsters with each step that he took. rising along with the levels of the stairwell and turning the corner into the ward, he sees the creatures, sprinting, slashing their claws with their footsteps along with that came the last remaining Checkmate soldier, a commander who struggling to outpace the beasts.

"Hey!" Gordon shouts at the feral men, which caused for them to snap their necks backwards and look directly at him. Several of them start running at him, growling. Jim's eyes widen, turning heel and running away, leading them away from the lower floors.

* * *

**Outside Gotham General **

Amanda Waller, the slim woman dressed in a black suit tightens her grip on the radio in hand. Her eyes look to the windows of the hospital, observing the upper levels to find any signs of the hostiles. She stands with her arms folded, her right was angled to place the radio near her mouth. She was surrounded by several high-ranking Checkmate soldiers, some were commanders and the rest comprised of even higher-ranked individuals.

"Commander Waller, we have a problem," from the corner of her vision, Waller sees a new Checkmate soldier approach her "We discovered one of squad unit 4B-7 Alpha's members unconscious nearby. Most-likely he was jumped, uniform was stolen. I don't know who would want to go in that place right now, they must be really stupid"

No, just trying to piss me off..." Amanda grits her teeth "Patch me through to him, now!"

"But, Commander Waller... we don't know who-"

"I do, now do it" Waller orders again. The Checkmate Soldier salute her and hurries off. Waller's eyes narrow into a glare "Goddamn it, Gordon"

**\- Inside Gotham General -**

Jim runs into one of the rooms, quickly moving over and pushing the table to block the door. The infected reach outside, bashing their arms and heads against the glass and frame of the door, screeching with all movement that they made. Slowly backing away, Jim's eyes focus on the beasts. Their mangled bodies with bones that protrude from their skin, their stretched jaw and snout-like nose. Their crimson eyes, their sharp fangs, their outstretched fingers and their elongated feet. They were the stuff of nightmares, one that was all too real and was ready to rip him to shreds.

_"Gordon. You better hope that you aren't still alive, those things won't tear you apart like I will when I get my hands on you!"_

Jim looks down to the radio strapped to his chest, he takes it off and holds it off "Waller?"

_"That's Commander Waller to you. What part of stay out of this did you not understand!?"_

"My wife! She's stuck in here... I had to... I wasn't going to let her die," Jim almost yells.

_"So...you thought getting yourself killed was a better used of time? You and I are going to have a long talk after this shitshow is over"_

"Those things are indestructible, Lee told me that they served shots to the head and have a healing factor. Just how do you plan to deal with that?" Jim grits his teeth, seeing the infected on the outside had managed to crack the windows and were close to breaking through "I'm a dead man"

"_Not until I say so" Waller smirks "I met one of your *friends* from Blackgate, he was just jumping at the chance to see you again, I believe that you two didn't end up on the best terms, right?"_ Waller brushes a strand of hair behind her ear and widens her grin _"You might wanna take cover. Now!"_

Jim jumps down onto the floor as a berede of bullets were shot through the ward, bouncing off the walls and directly hitting all of the infected men in the head, taking them down. One after the other, until they were all thrown onto the ground and into a puddle of their own blood. A pair of black boots begin to slowly walk through the hall, echoing and alerting Gordon to the new figure's prescience "Heat rounds, they can't heal when their brains are nothing but ash, you alright you lil' piggy?" a metallic voice calls out.

Recognizing the voice, Jim slowly levitated upward and peaking out to see the man now standing outside the room. He was dressed in a red and black armoured costume with a white helmet with one red-glowing eye. His shoulders and torso hosted all kinds of ammo rounds. With a bullet-themed gauntlet around both of his wrists and a sniper attached to his back. Black and red armoured gloves and black boots. Jim was soon standing to be level with the other man's gaze.

"Floyd Lawton, what are you doing out of Blackgate?"

"It's Deadshot, and I'm here to lead a brand new Task Force for Gotham, pig" Deadshot rolls back his shoulders and bends his hands into fists "Now... I believe we have some... catching up to do...," he lifts up his arm and aims his gauntlet at the glass and the man who stood on the other side of it "Let's see if that glass if bulletproof... Nah... it won't make any difference with these babies anyway," the red lens of his mask flashes brighter for a split second.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

Selina Kyle walks down the stone steps of her apartment complex, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. She walks on the sidewalk and keeps up at a steady pace. Her attention is brought to her side as she sees a black limousine drive along beside her, keeping to her pace. Selina stops and turns her body to face it. She sees the darkened window slowly pull down and reveal the figure of Sophia Falcone smirking as she was known for. Selina's green eyes focus on the notorious crime boss, readying herself for any possible altercation.

"Selina Kyle, right?" Sophia moves a strand of hair behind her ear as she keeps her grin "I hear that your mother is back in Town... tell me... just how is she doing these days? I heard that she and her boyfriend had quite the unfortunate... separation..."

"Okay, listen here. I don't care what history you have with my mom. I have nothing to do with it, so leave me alone and leave me out of it..." Selina hisses.

"Miss Kyle, you have a lot more to do with it then you know. More than your precious mother ever told you... but I can tell you the truth that she was hiding from you all this time" Sophia gestures as she opens the limo door open and invites Selina in "It took me a very long time to track you down but alas... here we are..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Selina flutters her eyes.

"It's simple..." Sophia crosses her legs "You know all about your dear mother, right? Well... prepare to learn about your father..." she sees that her words had left Selina speechless and nerve-racked. Sophia takes the glass of wine from the stand and sips "Well c'mon. Standing out there is bound to get you a cold..."

* * *

Darkness.

Darkness all around, silence all through, a painful coldness surfaces.

Bruce walks through the grungy alley. He looks all around, trying to see where he was which was made harder by his lack of vision. There was a chilling silence, made more prominent with each step that he took. The sound of his footstep echo loudly, carrying all through the path, bouncing off the two parallel brick walls and out into the outer scape of the darkness. He stops where he stands, feeling a soft breathing down his neck. The hair on arms stand up and his breaths spike.

"It's you... isn't it?" Bruce's whisper-like tone makes it way to the figure standing behind him. His eyes keep to his front, glancing up to the sign of the path. They fixate on the words: Crime Alley. Bruce feels the breath hitting his neck subside as the sound of a cape swerving echoes throughout the alley. Bruce turns towards the direction of the noise, looking up to the fire escape and sees the shadowed figured. One with pointy ears on their cowl and a black scalloped cape swerving through the soft breezes of wind that pass by.

"I knew that this was going to happen sooner or later" Bruce yells up to the darkness shrouded figure "Why did you bring me here? Just what the hell are you!?" Lightning strikes the ground between them, both lighting the figures in a flash of blue.

**"You know who I am. I'm Batman**" the shadowy figure growls from up high.

"No! I'm Batman! I'm the one who wears the suit!" Bruce calls back.

"**Wrong. You are the suit. You are the mask. You have been the disguise since the day you saw your parents murdered in cold blood!"**

"That's not true! Batman is a means to an end, not the man"

**"I am the end" **the shadowed figure leaps down, using his cape to slow his descent to the ground. His boots hit the ground, echoing through the alley. Bruce sees the figure still hidden beneath the layers of shadows and darkness. But he could still clearly see the silouette "**I am the end of you. Bruce Wayne is long dead, I am the one who you are, a new beginning, the one that Gotham needs**" Batman growls with his voice modulate.

"You're my guilt, aren't you? The embodiment of my failures..." Bruce steps back "You're the reminder of what I've lost... what was taken away from me"

"**No. I'm the symbol of what you are going to do about it**" Batman lunges forward and throws a punch towards Bruce who caught his fist with both his hands. The shadowed figure kicks up his knee into Bruce's stomach, grabbing hold of his right arm and twisting it, straining the bones in the man's arms "**And you are the anchor that is weighing me down**". Bruce throws his head back and hits Batman's cowl, knocking him off balance. Bruce quickly moves out of the hold, and throws his own right hook at the dark knight.

Batman catches Bruce's hand in his armoured gloved fist, winding up a kick and striking Bruce in his leg. The dark-haired man's eyes widen as he feels his knee break. Batman then repeatedly punches Bruce in the chest, over and over, finishing his cycle with a kick to his chest which knocked him onto the ground. Bruce's head hits the cold, hard concrete, inside the outlines of his deceased parents. Disoriented, he looks up with blurred vision as he sees Batman circling around him "i'm-I'm... I'm not a disguise, I'm not. Bruce Wayne lived, I lived to honour my parents"

**"You look dead to me. Sitting alone in your mansion, being too busy feeling sorry for yourself, lying to yourself" **Batman growls as he kneels over Bruce, grabbing his collar and lifting him up "**We both know the truth. You're body is fine, your back healed long ago... you are just scared. You are pathetic! Even now, you are falling on your injury to keep yourself down! Get up. I SAID... GET UP!" **Batman's voice booms.

"-I.. I... can't" Bruce stammers.

"**Wasn't a** **request**" Batman single handily lifts Bruce to his feet. Batman jumps and kicks Bruce against the brick wall "**You stood by and let your parents die!**" Batman strikes Bruce across the face, in the stomach, chest and face again **"Will you stand by and do nothing as everyone else you love is killed?! Will you let Thomas and Martha Wayne deaths mean nothing!?**" Batman strikes again, but this time Bruce lifts his arms to block the strike.

"That day... means everything!" Bruce kicks up, which Batman blocks with his hand. Bruce lunges forward, throwing punch after punch, after punch. Batman guarded all of his attacks, one after the other. Bruce's eyes narrow as he sees none of his strikes were breaking the figure's guard, Batman perfectly blocked or deflected every single one of his attempts. Batman's cold glance intensifies as he jumps over Bruce's shoulders, standing back-to-back with him. lifting his arms behind him and over Bruce's neck, lifting him up off the ground.

"**Then fight like it**" Batman lets Bruce out of the choke-hold and grabs his shoulders, kicking his boot in Bruce's shin which forces the man onto the ground. Bruce holds his neck, glancing around to the shadowed figure that circles around him "**Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Because no one else is going to pick you up... besides yourself. Stand up! Stand up and face me... or just sit there and forget everything your parents taught you"**

A Batarang slides out of Batman's gauntlet, he grabs it within his grip and lifting his arm up "**Make your** **Choice**". Batman slices across Bruce's chest with the Batarang, over and over. Until a bloodied outline of a bat was formed over his chest.

* * *

**\- Gotham City -**

The dead of night oversaw Gotham, the moon shines brightly from above. On the road of the city was a black limousine driving, within it sat both Sophia Falcone and Selina Kyle who sit opposite each other. The crime boss holds a wine glass in hand as she keeps her eyes on the other woman "I must say that I am thrilled that you accepted my invitation to join me. Trust is a hard thing to find in this city, and even harder to keep. I appreciate you giving me a chance to explain myself, Miss Kyle"

"Cut the crap. I know all about you, I know that you wouldn't have let me refuse" Selina crosses her arms "So this must mean that what my mother said was true. She and her dumbass boyfriend took your daddy's money and you want her to pay you back? I don't see how I fit into that" her green eyes tense up "Also if you think using me as leverage is going to make my mother go good on her end... hate to break it to you. She's abandoned me twice without a second thought"

"Leverage? Oh dear me, Miss Kyle. You fail to cognize my reasons. Though it is true that your mother is in debt to my family, our meeting has nothing to do with it. See, my father made a ton of foolhardy decisions that I would have disapproved off if I was given a say, you are your own woman, like me" she tips her glass "Speaking of which, we have more in common than that, a lot more..." Sophia crosses her legs as she sees a puzzled look form on Selina's face.

"Us? Common?" Selina sniggers "Last time I checked, I wasn't a mafia crime boss"

"Alleged Mafia crime boss, keep that in mind, Selina. It will save your ass from claims of slander and a hefty lawsuit" Sophia replies with a smirk "Just look at us. We're both strong, beautiful women, both of our families are broken and we both *allegedly* delve in our own special kind of lawbreaking. I, organized crime. You, common petty thievery, though with a nifty skin-tight leather outfit, that does wonders for your body though"

"You know? How did you-?"

"Your old friend, Bridgit. She spilled your little secret to every criminal in Gotham, and word travels fast here" Sophia lifts her eyebrows "You might want to watch your back now. Catwoman has stolen from many powerful people in Gotham with influence over its underworld. You and the people you hold dear could be in a lot of danger, you better be grateful that the pieces you stole from me were all worthless replicas, otherwise, this car ride could have gone... very differently"

"Then why are you warning me?" Selina questions "You wanna be besties or something? What's in it for you? You told me that you were going to tell me the truth about my father but you haven't said a single goddamn thing about him"

"Your father? That's a sore spot for you, is it not?" Tell me, just how much do you know about him?" the Falcone asks with a smirk as she twirls her hand and the glass that she was holding. She moves a strand of hair behind her ear "Family is the most intriguing thing, for one person, it can be the best of their memories, but for others... it could be a dark past which they wish to forget"

"Pretentious much?" Selina comments.

"Amusing" Sophia replies as she reaches into her coat "Y'know, they say that humour is an ideal way to deal with tragedy. Of course, you must have had a lot of practice considering your upbringing" she pulls out a large envelope from her coat and hands it over to Selina "You may choose not to believe my good intentions but I do have a vested interest in your well being, now that I know the truth. Inside this are the answers that you want, but I must apprise you, by opening it, you will also be opening up Pandora's box"

"How can I even trust this? For all I know, it's all fabrication" Selina reaches out to the envelope.

"I thought of your concerns, inside you'll find a genuine DNA test, if you do not believe it then feel free to do another one yourself. But feel free not to open it if you are scared of the beasts that you will unleash out of it, knowing just what is inside will change your entire world. You should only do so if you are absolutely certain that you want the truth... and not your version of it" Sophia sees Selina take the envelope from her and rest it on her lap.

"You're not going to see if I open it?" Selina touts.

"With this, isolation will become your greatest ally, Miss Kyle, that and probably a strong bottle of champagne. I hope that we can find a way to work together as your strapping Dark Knight is no longer around to keep you safe. Watch yourself, Mr Luthor hasn't forgiven your previous encounter with him, he'll be gunning for you, but for now, you should focus on the threats in Gotham. My power and influence can only reach so far, there will be outliers who will not heed my warnings" Sophia warns as the limousine stops.

"What about my mother?" the short-haired woman asks.

"The pleasantries are between us two only, your mother made a deal... it is up to her to see it through, she knows of the consequences when she made it"

"She said that Cole's the one who took the money?" Selina double-takes.

"Did she? That's cute" Sophia looks towards the door as the chauffeur walks around the limousine and open its "Lies upon lies, her only consistent trait. Please, take it easy, Miss Kyle". Selina steps out back into the cold streets right outside her apartment complex, shuddering as she is struck the freezing air, she could see her own breath each take she exhaled. She holds the envelope down by her side, as she sees the chauffeur close the door to conceal the other woman's figure. The man returns to the driver's seat and with that, the limousine drives off, leaving Selina alone.

* * *

Bruce is thrown against the wall of the alley, hitting his back against it and rolling onto the hard ground, next to the outlines of his parents. He slowly crawls away while a shadow steadily follows after him. He dribbles blood from his mouth, his eyes lock onto a single pearl that rolls towards him. He shudders as he feels the shadow fully consume him, his eyes see the figure's silouette on the ground, pointy ears and cape alike. Bruce sluggishly reaches his hand out to the pearl.

He stops as a boot presses down on his hand, applying enough force to make Bruce squirm.

"**Whose going to be the next person to die because you do nothing? Gordon? Dent? Alfred? Selina? The longer you hold me back, the sooner someone that you love is going to die. Whilst you are feeling sorry for yourself, a boy could witness his parents being shot and killed in alley just like this one!**" Batman snarls. The dark knight presses his boot harder on the man's hand, reddening it. Bruce's eyes widen as the pearl rolls away from him.

"I-I c-can't"

"**The last time we spoke, I told you that you should be scared of me! A symbol is pointless if the wearer even refuses to believe in it. We belong in the darkness, we thrive in it but you have fallen victim to it!**" the dark knight chastises Bruce. The man slowly glances up, following the movement of the pearl. It stops rolling, next to a young boy crying who was holding a blanket around him tightly. He was sitting on the stairs, his eyes were reddened by the tears.

Bruce watches in silence as he sees feet walking past him, turning his head, he sees a much younger James Gordon making his way towards the young boy over on the stair "Why?! Why are you showing me this!?" Bruce stammers. The shadowed figure removes his boot from Bruce's hand as he too looks over to Jim Gordon sitting next to the boy "**Have you forgotten?**", Bruce hears the shadowed figure reply. Bruce keeps his eyes towards Gordon and his younger self

"When I was about your age, a drunk driver hit our car, killed my dad. I was right next to him" Gordon softly tells the sobbing boy. He leans forward "I know how you feel right now and I promise you, however dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light. The will be light, Bruce" Gordon's words reaches the boy as he slowly turns to him.

"**Your parents were killed that night but I was born, hidden away within the deepest parts of your mind, trying to claw my way out**. **But I got out, I got out. Vengeance burns bright, especially within the** **shadows**," Bruce's eyes narrow as he tries to pick himself up. Batman steps away from him, turning his back to Bruce "**You let a few lowlifes make you break your promise, your vow to your parents, did that oath really mean so little to you?"**

"Shut-up!" Bruce stands up, his legs slightly wobble as he tilts his body to keep his balance "You don't think that I want to be out there? You honestly think that I'm happy doing nothing as innocents could get hurt... or die? I can't... do anything. I can barely stand, let alone put up any fight"

"**You are still broken but it's not your body that has** **cracked...**" Batman turns on his heels and punches towards Bruce, who catches the figure's wrist with his own hands "**You're scared, you're scared that you will fail again, the thought of failing this city is what is keeping you down**" the shadowed figure growls as he roundhouse kicks towards Bruce. The dark-haired man swiftly throws his palm down and catches the other figure's boot "**You can stand just fine, you can fight just as well, the only thing that has changed is that you are now a coward**".

Bruce shoves the dark knight's boot away, Batman backflips away and begins repeatedly punch at Bruce. The man blocks all the blows while throwing his own fists at the dark knight as he too blocks the attacks. The two keep at this cycle for almost a minute, both blocking each other's strike and retaliating with their own. Soon both punches and kicks were added to their stalemate as they mirror each other's actions and responses. Lightning strikes down on the ground next to them, again and again as quick flashes of light illuminate them.

"All these years and I always thought you were just a product of Ivy's toxin, but now I see you for what you really are... you were always there... since that night. The toxin only broke you loose in my head... and my soul. You are just the manifestation of the darkest parts of me... my guilt, my rage, my desire to protect... my need to punish... we need each other, otherwise we are incomplete... broken. I can see that now... I'm not running away from you any more..." Bruce keeps up his defence against the shadowy figure that strikes him "You are the that I cannot escape, the one that I cannot kill... you are... the man that I need to be, but I'm not scared... not any more"

"**Our mission isn't over, far from it. We have barely begun...**" the shadowy figure blocks one last punch from Bruce as he explodes into hundreds of bats that swarm around Bruce, almost making a tornado shape as they screech, all out of sync that echo throughout Crime Alley. Bruce lowers his head and sees the carved Bat symbol in on his chest as the bats continue to swarm around him. He closes his eyes and embraces the sound and feeling of bats circling around him.

Bruce holds out his arms and straightens his posture, lifting his head up to face the sky as a light is pointed up from a far away building and brightens it up. The light formed a bat shape that mirrored the design of the one on his chest. Bruce's eyes look to his front as he hears a dark chuckling. His eyes land upon the sight of a man with his back to him, dressed in a purple overcoat, yellow gloves and green strands of hair hanging of his fully pure white-face.

"...Joker..." Bruce's eyes narrow as the cackling slowly evolves into a uncontrollable laughter.

"Gotham is a wonderland of lunatics, Batman, and us?" Joker turns his head to Bruce "We are the main attractions, we are the stars of the show... Batman and... the Joker..." he follows up with a burst of laughter.

{}

Bruce lunges up from his bed, sweating and breathing heavily. His eyes narrow as he jumps to his feet, finding the motion trivial compared to the last few months. His left hand forms into a fist as he feels the motions with his body were no longer stiff or painful. He looks over to a pile of his clothes and grabs them.

Now dressed in a red dressing gown, he makes his way down to the lower floors of Wayne Manner and into the Batcave, ridding down on the elevator. He slides open the cage and enters the leir, treading carefully down into the main deck of the place. He stops as he comes face to face with the glass case which holds the Batsuit. He sees his reflection in the glass, his eyes and mouth were mirrored within the cowl. Bruce lowers his arms to his sides as he keeps his eyes trained on the suit.

Minutes pass by as he watches the case in silence. Bruce only ceases his concentration as he sees the main light to the cave was turned on. He turns his head towards the entrance to see Alfred standing there "Master Bruce? Just what ungodly hour do you call this then? I thought we had a bloody intruder..." the older man tells Bruce as he makes his way towards him. Alfred looks over Bruce, seeing that the man was clearly standing up without a slouch "I see that you are up and running again then, sir. Let me take a guess, you are planning on suiting up and getting yourself in the exact same situation that you did before and get you back bloody broken"

"I kept trying to fight it, Alfred. I kept trying to fight my true calling, I thought that hiding away in the dark would undo all the problems that I have caused... but while I was here feeling sorry for myself... the criminals of Gotham, Checkmate... have been destroying the city that my parent's gave their lives for." Bruce presses his hand against the glass and over the Batsuit's bat symbol "The only thing needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing..."

"Sir? You are obviously still tired, how about we go about getting you back in bed for a couple more hours of kip?" Alfred rests his hand over Bruce's shoulder "Once you get some more rest, you are bound to think more clearly..."

"No, Alfred" Bruce eyes narrow "This is the most clear that my mind has been for the last few months. It took me a while but I finally realized no matter how hard I try, there is no holding back the darkness inside of me, he will always find me eventually... and I have found him," Bruce turns his head towards Alfred "Waller... she's our main priority for the moment, once we get her out of the way... the rest should be simple enough... we need something more than a physical threat to get her to shake, we need something more drastic, something that I hoped that I would never have to turn to..."

"Sir?" Alfred questions.

"Alfred, go get my lawyers on the phone, actually... I think I know the perfect person the job" Bruce says with a smile.

* * *

**Selina Kyle's Apartment**

Selina sits on the edge of her bed and holds the envelope in her lap. Her jacket was thrown onto the other side of her bed, which left her in a low-cut black top. Her emerald eyes were fixated on the glued down the opening of the envelope. Her mind thinks back to Sophia's warning. Selina shakes her head and runs her hands through her hair "Opening Pandora's box? Well, I guess that Miss Falcone isn't exactly known for her subtlety... though she is probably playing me... but..." she could not turn away from the package in her lap.

"Well y'know what they say about cats and curiosity... oh hell with it" she tears the envelope open and pulls out all the sheets of paper. Her eyes stop on sight and her body stiffens, her heart feels like it pauses and her breath ceases. A sharp chill moves up her spine and her mouth was left open. She is shocked, dumbstruck, frightened by the results in front of her. The paper holds the records of her genetics, fingerprints and even blood. And beside all of her results was a picture of a man, one that she recognized.

"No... No... this can't be... this can't..." she grabs the front of her hair "This can't... be true..." her hands shake as her eyes keep on the image of the man. Carmine Falcone's image plagued her vision, her thoughts and her body as she shakes uncontrollably "How could she keep this from me...? How could she...?"

"You're honestly surprised?" a familiar voice comments from the side.

Selina jumps onto her feet, throwing the sheets of paper back onto her bed. She turns to see Bruce Wayne standing next to the door to her bedroom "Bruce? What are you doing here? I thought, I thought that you were... never mind, why are you here?"

"I saw that you were with Sophia Falcone, that could only mean one thing... she was going to finally tell you the truth, honestly... I was hoping that you never be burdened with the truth. Criminal flows through your blood, your body and now... your soul... It must be a lot to take in" Bruce replies, wearing a white shirt and black jacket with his right hand in his pocket "But hey, look on the Brightside, that newfound bloodline of yours could give you one giant bank account... you can afford all the skin-tight leather catsuits that you could ever want"

"Hold on, did... did you know? Did you know about this!? And we're you following me!?" Selina hisses.

"You're a cat-burglar, Selina. A thief, you killed before, remember good ol' Reggie Payne? The guy you shoved out a window, the man that you killed? Actually, come to think of it, you probably don't even remember his name. You're a murderer, you assisted Firefly in setting fire to that building which killed a good man as a result, you were more than happy to kill Lex, you held the gun right to his chest and fired away..." Bruce walks towards her "And you know who I am. I can't have someone like you waltzing around unchecked, can I? I've been keeping watch over you, making sure that was being a good lil' girl"

"Is this some sort of a sick joke?"

"Oh, Selina, Selina, Selina... always the victim, oh poor, poor Selina... alright, listen. Once you see both of your parents gunned down in an alley right before you eyes, then you can complain to me about how hard your life is. Good news, only one of your parents is dead and the other one abandoned you... I got to say... Maria is a smart woman, she really dodged a bullet with you" Bruce smirks "Actually, think of all the child support that she could have gotten out of Carmine... now that is a payday. It makes you wonder if she is really as money-hungry as you think she is, Why didn't she just do that, but instead she ran off and left you all alone..."

"Why? What is... wrong with you?" Selina tears up as she looks to Bruce "Why are you being such an asshole? This is the first time that we have spoken in months... and it's like this! Did I mean nothing to you...? Was our... our love worthless to you?"

"Love?" Bruce lifts an eyebrow "Now that is a sick joke. I love you? You're a pathetic street rat that I was feeling sorry for, to be fair, you do have a nice face... and an even nicer body to go along with it. Maybe if you weren't such a drag, we possibly could have made it work. Honestly, leaving Gotham was really because of you, learning the cool ninja moves were just a bonus. Seriously, why would I settle for you... when there's Talia? Now that is a smoking babe... beautiful, smart, curvy in all the right places - the whole package"

"Bastard, you bastard" Selina snarls.

"But hey, now that you know that you are the daughter of an infamous criminal, looks like you and her have even more in common. That could really help you two get along more, just try not to stab her, she really seems to hate it" Bruce laughs "It was really easy finding out who your daddy was. Just quick search with your DNA and there is was. I didn't tell you because I thought that you would relish in it, use it as an excuse for everything that you have done to break the law, you know? Like how you always seem to blame me when anything goes wrong in your life, you do that a whole lot"

"What-what are you talking about!?"

"Oh come on, Selina. *Oh Bruce, I only shoved Reggie out of the window for you, Oh Bruce, I only was an accomplice to grand arson and manslaughter because you were ignoring me, Oh Bruce, I only shot Lex because I wanted to spite you*" Bruce looks around the room "Need I say more? But if I saw the distraught that the news would bring you... I would have shouted it from the rooftops". Bruce points towards the woman "The ball is in your court, Selina. Whatever will you do? I can't wait to see you screw up this one"

"Shut-it!" Selina screams as she takes an empty glass from the stand and throws it towards Bruce. The glass goes right through him and shatters against the doorframe. By the time Selina looked back, Bruce had vanished, like he wasn't even there. Tears stream down Selina's cheek and her face was red, she growls. Unknown to her in the corner of her room was a hidden flower pot with a blooming rose that glows with black veins that is slowly releasing spores.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**


	28. Beacon

**Beacon **

* * *

**Wayne Manner **

**\- Gym -**

Bruce's eyes focus to his front as he repeatedly strikes a red punching bag that hangs from the ceiling. His fists were concealed by hand wraps. He was shirtless, dressed in cargo pants and black socks. He keeps up the efforts of his hits forward at the bag. He upper body sweats, his breath lags behind his swift motions as if his mind and body were fighting each other. He ears blare with the sound booming from the radio stationed on the other side of the room.

_"A Family of four were found brutally murdered this morning, the authorities have yet to comment on the suspect's identity"_

_"A surge in gang violence has swept the city of Gotham, experts are saying that the numerous increase of gang members is being caused by Oswald Cobblepot A.K.A The Penguin, along with several other warring factions, such as Johnathan Crane, also known as the Scarecrow..."_

Bruce continues his assault, over and over. His knuckles bleed and scar. The once night had slowly faded away as with it came the flare of the early hours of the morning that creep through the curtains and into the room with Bruce.

_"A new member to the organized game, going by "Joker" has claimed responsivity for a lethal chemical attack which left several dozen people dead and with what eye-witnesses claim to be *smile on the victims faces*. These are truly dark days for Gotham"_

Something deep inside Bruce snaps, as he jumps and rams his leg into the side of the punching bag, tripping over and dropping to the ground, lying on his front and using his elbows for support. He pans his gaze across until a pair of polished black shoes come into view. He lifts his face and sees Alfred standing before him with a towel wrapped around his arm and with a tray resting in his hand. Alfred delivers a firm glare to the young man "Master Bruce, you have been up all bloody night going at it. look at you, you are a mess"

"Thanks, Alfred. I can always count on you for moral support" Bruce lifts himself up from the ground slowly, grabbing onto Alfred for support.

"And I can always count on you to not listen to a bloody word that I say" Alfred hands the towel over to the other man. Bruce takes it and throws it around the back of his neck "Sure you can stand now, but what good will that do you when spending all that time immobile has left you quite stiff. And last time I checked, punching a bag doesn't quite make up for all of your advanced combat training"

"I know that" Bruce turns from Alfred "It took me years to learn all of that, now look at me? I can barely move, I can't even run because my legs are stiff as hell. My entire body is aching now"

"And here you are... making that problem of yours even worse... you do have quite the tendency to do that, don't you? I suggest that you be more careful, sir, otherwise you will end up ruining you back... for a second time" Alfred steps aside and sets down the tray onto a wooden table, turning the dial down on the radio "Now... some breakfast and some well-needed rest will be vital in getting you back in tip-top shape"

"Not hungry, not tired either," Bruce says as he unwraps the blood-stained hand wraps "I need to get back to the action"

"Did not a single word get through your head, Master Bruce? You and I have been through this... more times than I can count"

Bruce stops his actions, turning his head to Alfred "I need to be out there. People need me..."

Alfred holds his arms behind his back and steps towards Bruce "And what are you planning to do about it? Stand in the corner and look scary? If you haven't noticed, you can't hold your own in a fight anymore. What is to happen if you are put into a situation where you must fight for your survivor? What if you encounter Bane again?"

"I can handle it!" Bruce turns and yells at the older man "... I have to..."

Alfred inches closer and places his hand on Bruce's shoulders "... Listen to me, son. You are my boy, I watched over you as you became the man that you were today, I have also been there for you, you and I are family, Bruce. Not through blood, but through something much more powerful. We have been there for each other in our darkest days, our most dangerous of battles. No matter how hard the world tried to break us apart, we stayed together, I raised you and you gave me something that I could have never dreamed of... someone that I can be truly proud of..."

"...The city needs me" Bruce lowers his head.

"I'm not dismissing that, but you and I both have different people in mind for the job. If you are to venture out into the wild of Gotham, then promise me one thing. Let Bruce Wayne be the one in the spotlight, reminding the city of your parent's legacy... make me proud. Batman has no place in bringing new light to Gotham"

* * *

**Sirens Club**

Selina sits at the front of the bar, holding a glass in hand. The club was empty, closed. With Selina and Barbara being the only ones present. The redhead stands behind the counter, kneeling over to face the raven-haired woman. Barbara's hand slides over Selina's hand as she pushes down in an attempt to get the younger woman to put the glass down "When I said that I would do you a drink. I meant only one, you clearly are not in the right state of mind to be trying to drown your sorrows away. Are you going to finally tell me why you are in this mood of yours?"

"Can I get a second opinion on that? Lee's a doctor, right?" Selina musses much to the dismay of Barbara who sighs.

"No, you can't. Seriously, what is your deal? You're too old to use the excuse of teenage angst"

Selina lifts her head, her green eyes pierce at Barbara "I've recently gone through a load of emotion all in one go, I've done enough crying to dry up my eyes for life, and I have this urge to punch someone, really, really hard"

"That someone wouldn't be named Bruce would they? I gotta say, he's a lucky bastard for getting out of the city right before all the madness went down. What did Lucius say that he was? A ski resort or something like that. If Bruce only waited a few weeks, he would have had more than enough snow" Barbara's eyes fixate on Selina "I never did get around to asking you, how did it go down between you two"

"Complicated" Selina replies as she runs her hand through her hair "Went as it usually does. It was amazing for a while but as always, it ended with me getting my heart broken. I should have never listened to your advice"

"I'm sorry to hear that" Barbara apologetically replies "... you two always seemed... perfect for each other. Don't worry about it, Selina. I'll kick his ass once he gets back." Barbara stands straight and hands the glass back to the other woman "Billionaires... no matter how nice they seem, they always seem to turn out to be assholes"

"Bruce isn't a bad man, just a complicated one. Even I can't understand him sometimes"

"If you say so, but I doubt there is any dark secret to Bruce Wayne. He's just a man with a lot of money, and just as much free time"

Selina curls her fingers around the glass "Well out of sight, out of mind. Bruce and I have already done this dance before and I am in no mood for an encore." She pushes the glass towards the redhead "How about a refill, then I might tell you what is really bothering me"

"You've had enough, Selina" Barbara firmly reinforces.

"You haven't heard what I had to say yet. I'm going to need an entire bottle" Selina gests as she leans forward "Carmine Falcone is my father. And my mother is back in town." Barbara loses her firm look and replaces it with a shocked expression.

"... Noted... I'll go get something heavier" she leaves the back of the bar and walks into the side room. Selina sits in silence as she waits for Barbara to return. Her ears prick as she hears footsteps from behind as sees a figure sit up onto the counter. She swiftly turns her head towards the individual. Her eyes widen as she sees Bruce sitting with his legs crossed in a white loose-collar shirt under a black loose jacket. His hair was perfectly combed back and his smile was as smug as ever.

"What are you doing here?!" Selina spits as she jumps to her feet and glares at the man on the counter.

"I wanted to see you, plus you very crudely cut me off last night. I thought we could continue from where we left off" Bruce grabs the glass from the counter along with near-empty bottle beside it. Bruce pours the wine into the glass, keeping his eyes on Selina "Oh right, you are the illegitimate love child Carmine Falcone and Maria Kyle, that was quite the shocker wasn't it? Or was it...? You can't honestly feel that such a revelation is completely out of left field"

"Leave now..."

"Oh come on, love. There is no need to be such a spoiled sport about it. Though... I cannot begin to imagine the complete cluster fuck of emotions that are going on through your head right now. Hell, you might even be crazier than even I am. Gotham's most notorious crime boss is your daddy... and a washed-out bimbo is your mother. That's a match made in heaven if I ever saw one." Bruce sips from the glass as he keeps his eyes on Selina.

"And a sleazy douchebag is my ex, get out!" Selina hisses.

"Ouch" Bruce shrugs "You may not quite understand what's going on right now, but I'm trying to save you here". Bruce slides off the counter and onto his feet, lifting the glass "I'm the Jiminy Cricket to your Pinocchio. I suggest that you open up those pretty ears..."

"You don't get to tell me what to do"

"Of course not. You live on the edge, you live for thrills, right? Is that why you formed a crime fighter band with Harleen and Talia?" Bruce raises an eyebrow "See... I can understand with Talia. She knows how to hold her own you... you do as well but the little cute blonde? She watched someone she cared about getting brutally beaten to a bloody pulp right before her own eyes and she couldn't do anything about it. That must full someone with so much anger, anger that they were want to unleash on the world..."

Selina folds her arms and glares at Bruce "Where are you going with this? Harleen needed a way to vent her anger rather than letting it consume her. You aren't telling me that you wouldn't give someone the same opportunity if they needed it? It's what you would have done"

"Maybe it is, but you made one fatal error," Bruce says as he begins to circle the woman "Having her seek justice is one thing but we both know very well what she is looking for. She is looking for vengeance, to vent her anger. She doesn't care who she hurts, you've seen it. When she nearly killed that man, you know it, I know it, she is losing control of herself. And you are the one who gave her the means to do so"

"... How did you know that? Harley and I were the only ones there..." Selina asks puzzled.

"You still haven't figured it out? Oh dear..." Bruce sits down on the barstool and spreads his arms out across the counter "Someone hasn't been keeping up with their Pinocchio. *What's a conscience! I'll tell ya! A conscience is that still small voice that people won't listen to*" Bruce leans forward "I say it's about time you begin to hear me out"

"You're my conscience... right..." Selina purrs "Get out of here, both figuratively and literally. You've worn out your welcome, not like you even had it to begin with"

"Always ready to pounce on whatever you feel is antagonistic towards you. Your mother, your friends... even your own conscience" Bruce sips from the glass in his hand "You are always trying to find someone to pass the blame on to, someone who you can hold accountable for all of your misdeeds. You have been so busy trying to find that enemy that you have even forsaken your own friends, and in this city, you need all the friends that you can get"

"This is ridiculous. You're not my conscience! That would mean that I am crazy, and I sure as hell ain't. Tell me one thing, one thing that only I would know" Selina asks with widened lips, a strong look of anger in her eyes and a visibly shaking hand.

"Crazy? No. But something is happening to you, something that is changing you, something that is trying to take away any good intentions that you have. Almost like a chemical being released inside your little brain." Bruce stands up, dusting off his jacket "As per your request. When you were eight, you were already accustomed to life on the streets of Gotham. The smell, the animals, the monsters. It was like an entirely different world compared to the life of those who knew no such way of living..."

"You didn't know what day it was, all you knew was that the storm was strong, strong winds and even some lightning for some dramatic effect. You forced into a shelter to hide from the harsh elements. You were hungry, soaked, you haven't eaten for days or even drank. You were tired, with only a small chunk left from the tuna can that you stole. You were hurting, in pain. But then you saw something, a stray cat left out to suffer from the harsh elements, malnourished, to a level of being hard to look at. A tiny black cat"

"Though you were starving, you gave what little you had to that poor thing. You took it in, played with it, gave it the love that you and it both needed, the two of you took shelter together from the storm for the night. It was the best night that you had for a long time, being able to sleep soundly, even feeling safe. You even named the little bastard, right? Ah yes, Isis. That must have been where you got your affinity for felines" Bruce sets the glass down on the counter, looking over to the dark-haired woman "Shame that the little rascal didn't make it, all those hungry nights, all those rapid dogs, what did her in was you not having the means to pay for a basic trip to the vets"

Selina's emerald eyes slowly begin to water "I just woke up one morning and she was... she was gone. It was like losing my family all over again. Back then I didn't have a single thing except for her, I still dream of her," she says with trembling lips and a drowning gaze.

"And now what do you have? Friends, a fancy apartment and someone who you love. That's a lot more than most people, and now the news of your true lineage has come knocking, breaking into the life that you once had. What happens next is your call princess. I'd say you better keep your eyes pealed"

"Selina? Who are you talking to?" Barbara asks concerned as she has returned to the back of the counter as she gives the woman a suspicious look. Selina looks to her side only to see that the man was gone, vanished from the room. Selina shakes her head and returns her focus towards the redhead.

"No one" Selina replies.

"Really...? I've been standing here for a solid minute trying to get your attention, you seemed to be having quite the conversation with yourself" Barbara leans over the counter to inch closer to the other woman "Are you're sure that you are alright? You do look a little bit tired. That added with the recent bombshell that you told me can't be doing you any favours"

"I'm fine" Selina firmly reinforces "Just going through a lot, okay?"

"Just don't go through it on your own. You have friends here"

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Research & Development -**

Lucius hunches over the workbench, his eyes looking through the lens of the microscope, examining the small chip. He twists and turns the dial to get a focused sight on the object in question. With marked intervals, he looks between the eyes of the lens and the laptop that showed the chip's inner workings. His other hand softly presses against the mouse, selecting different parts of the image "The wiring is standard military affair but the outer casing is anything but that. Whatever the compound is, it has to be able to be put into a person without causing metal poisoning, nor affect the body's core functions nor disrupt blood flow"

"I'm bored," Harleen says sheepishly, covering her mouth when she yawns. Sitting on the workbench, arms lifting her chin up and gently kicking her legs. Dressed in a red dress and black tights with high-heels. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she had her glasses on. She was almost child-like in her posture, constantly fidgeting with the non-stop kicks of her legs and the countless times she would adjust herself, either folding her legs over only to undo them and hang them down mere moments later. Occasionally she would fiddle with strands of her hair with her fingers.

With the haymaker that kept intruding on Lucius' attention taking the form of a large pink bubble of gum that the blonde would keep blowing, just to pop it and begin anew with sizing up the bubble to break her previous score. The pop echoes throughout the room, almost like a momentary blast of thunder which was not helped by the hollow walls "Ya been at this for hours, do ya ever take a day off?" the blonde asks in her trademarked ditz-like manner.

"You are free to leave whenever you like, Miss Quinzel" Lucius tiredly informs the woman as he uses the laptop to zoom in on the blueprints of the half-broken device.

Harleen replies with another pop of the large bubble and returns to chewing the gum "I thought ya said that ya needed me here," Harleen lowers her arms and plants her palms on the surface of the workbench, she begins to tap the tips of her fingers against the hard top which were made aggrandizement by the echo that also seemed to haunt the room.

"No, I said that you are welcome to stay if you would like" Lucius steps away from his station, looking down to his watch "Don't take this the wrong way but I think that I can maximize the result of my research if you would ever so elegantly leave me to my own devices"

"Ya want me to scram?" Harleen bellows in a soft tone "One moment ya wanna invite me to stay and next ya wanna see my butt walk out of the door? I'm not that annoyin', am I?" Harleen coax Lucius for an answer. The man refrains himself from answering on impulse and instead gives himself time to rethink his rejoinder.

"I'm not going to lie to you but I'm also not going to answer that. I said that you could stay but foreboding hours of constant interruption and bumble gum pops... which I have seen you stick under the table has undoubtedly changed my initial offer, heck you don't even have the clearance to get in this department in the first place" Lucius responds in the best and well-rounded way that he could manage. Harleen's bubble gum pops again when she hears his answer.

"Then what the hell am I even supposed to do? Ya were nice enough to pull enough strings to get me a job here but ya never give me a single thing to do? Ya don't even want me as your PA" Harleen emphasises her point with a flutter of her eyes.

"That's because I already have a PA, Harleen. And second, Bruce is the one who gave me the go-ahead to get you employed here, he didn't tell me what he wanted you to do nor the role he wanted you to play in this company" Lucius returns his attention to the laptop "Plus... you and the other girls' nightly activity should be more than enough excitement for you"

"Ya would think but gettin' shot at is only excitin' for so long, now it's just all samey. I'm really a simple girl, I just want a bit more flair" the blonde leans backwards, pressing her back to the wall behind her "Back at Arkham I meant something...," she presses her hand against her chest "I made a difference. I helped a lot of people, mostly just givin' them someone who would listen to them - people forget just how far that can go for some people. As much as I love the solace I get from beatin' those checkmate guys to they are black and blue, it's not the same as helping people on an emotional level. I need to be able to do something that matters, that's just what I want"

"I get it, Harleen. You want to open up and try to help others - that's great, but I'm really, really busy right now. I have an appointment to get to in a few minutes, plus I need to see several high-ranking people inside the company. Can this... can this just wait?"

"Ya wanna know the curse of living as someone who wants to listen to the problems and needs of people? No one ever wants to hear mine..." Harleen picks the gum out of her mouth "I'm only askin' for somethin' to do in this company. I would even be Bruce's PA. Didn't his last one get killed when the Jerome fanatics broke into Wayne Enterprise?"

"Yeah, he didn't really have the time to go through with getting a new one" Lucius folds his arms "But Bruce isn't here... you would be in the exact same position of having nothing to do"

"Not goin' forward, but he's gotta have a bunch of previous work that has been left on his desk. I could see if I can try to at least alleviate his workload for when he comes back from that fancy ski trip of his. Maybe if you can give me his direct line, I could have him tell me just what needs to be taken care of first?" the blonde suggests with a whimsical smile and tone.

"I need to get going, Harleen. But I'll give him a call later and see what he thinks of it. Just don't go getting your hopes up"

"Wouldn't dream of it" Harleen salutes Lucius with index and middle finger "Bruce adores me, in fact, I think he has a lil' crush on me"

"Pardon?" Lucius double-takes.

"It's the Brooklyn accent, no man can resist"

"Keep telling yourself that"

* * *

**Later...**

**Wayne Manner **

**\- Main Living Room -**

Bruce's shoulder jolts, stiffening as Alfred brought his arms around Bruce's neck and straightens his tie "All these years Master Bruce and you are still clueless when it comes to sorting out your own tie. You are a full man now, there is no excuse for this tardiness" Alfred remarks. Bruce stood in a black suit over a white shirt. He brings his left arm over his right shoulder and rubs it. His eyes wincing in pain with each touch. He looked unconformable in the attire.

"I think being unable to move or walk for last few months is a half-decent excuse" Bruce shoots back with a friendly tone. He brings his hands over his tie "Plus it's always the last knot that I have trouble with. It's hardly a big deal, Alfred"

"It is when you are nearing your thirties, sir. Don't tell me you are going to go around with a loose collar and look like a total poser when I am no longer around to serve you" Alfred lifts his hands and pucks up Bruce's collar "You could always hire another butler, but I doubt they would be as challenging to your whims as I am. Sometimes you just got to be told no"

"I could never replace you, Al. The new guy would never be able to live up to your breakfasts" Bruce presses his thumb down on the cufflinks in his suit "Plus I would have to go through all the trouble of explaining to them why there is a giant cave below the house and that I like to dress up like a bat and glide across Gotham's skyline. Plus getting them to keep it a secret is going to be a whole other can of worms"

"Indeed, Master Bruce. It seems that we are stuck with each other" Alfred steps from Bruce and smiles.

"Wouldn't have it any other way" Bruce coyly smirks "Good thing I bought that penthouse in the city shortly after I got back from my training. It should give me the means to look over Gotham and not draw too much-unwanted attention. Is the chopper ready?"

"Not yet, sir. We are still awaiting clearance from those blasted checkmate hooligans. Give it a little longer, not even they are foolish enough to turn away Bruce Wayne. Remember what we talked about, Bruce. Be on your best behaviour. The people of Gotham are in need of a white knight now more than ever. Bruce Wayne is the hero that it needs. They need something to put their faith in, not something that demands fear." Alfred reminds the man.

"Do I look like Superman do you?" Bruce quips, walking forward and towards the door to the room with Alfred following behind "I'll do my best to regain the peace but my main focus is to get Harvey back in the game. He's the one that Gotham needs, even more than me. He's the ultimate symbol of justice that this city has ever seen"

"Very humble of you. I wish you luck on your travels, Bruce. Godspeed" Alfred notes.

"You're not coming, Alfred?" Bruce stops, turning his head to the older man.

"Afraid not. Word of my apparent death has spread through the city, sir. For me to come out to the public as perfectly alive... well that will certainly put a lot of attention on both me and you. The kind of attention that we cannot risk to have. Do not threat, I shall be here in case you are in need of any of your... more advanced equipment. If the time shall come when you are in need of the Batsuit, you will find that you will have me to send it to you, plus there is a less advance suit beneath Wayne Tower"

"It's too dangerous for you to stay here, Alfred. Jeremiah and Bane know who I am, leaving you alone here is going to put you in a lot of danger" Bruce protests.

"You will find that Jeremiah and Bane are indeed stuck on the island. The safest place for me to be is here. You just need to worry about returning to that troubled love life of yours. Miss Kyle and Miss Al Ghul are both on the island too. Now that could end up being more dangerous than any of your rogues" the older man advises Bruce.

"My main concern is Gotham. Trusting those two only ended up with them betraying me, it made me... it made me... that's in the past now. I need to learn to keep Bruce Wayne and Batman's life separate, including the people from them. I can't risk getting my head that clouded again, it nearly cost me my life and others...," Bruce closes his eyes for a moment "There are only a few people that I can trust in this world now, and I'm glad that you are one of them, Al"

"I am the one who is grateful, Master Bruce. Lucius shall meet you on top of Wayne Tower, safe travels" Alfred holds his arms behind his back and smiles "You will not have to worry about getting swarmed by the media at this hour, though they will eventually catch wind of your return so will the others in your life"

"Paparazzi? Now that is one villain that not even I can't take down" Bruce comments, opening the front door to the manner and walking out. Alfred walks in front of the doors, leaning his back against them to keep them open. The older delivers one final nod to Bruce.

The billionaire walks towards the grounded helicopter on his vast grounds of the Wayne estate. He climbs inside the cockpit on the opposite end of the piolet. The helicopter's blades begin to spin, increasing in speed. It starts to ascend off the ground. "Wear a scarf! It's dreadfully cold out there!" Alfred shouts up towards Bruce as the chopper flies upward and heads towards the city.

* * *

**Gotham City**

**\- Selina's Apartment -**

Selina twists and turns in the bed, grumbling. Her never-ending movements had caused her to kick the bed covers over onto the floor. Her closed eyes tense, her breath spikes, being delayed and then constant and abrupt. Her fingers claw into the bedsheets, curling her fingers into fists. She groans, her chest lifts and she heaves. Standing over her was a seductive looking redhead dressed in a green dress. Her pure white teen looks down to the sleeping woman in a grin.

She gently waves her hand over Selina "My little pretties have done their job. Their microscopic spores are all through your system..." Ivy whispers as she gently brushes her fingers against the skin of Selina's neck, leaving a small trail of cuts from her nails "I always missed us as friends, cat. I say that we give it another shot and really stick it to that billionaire boy. The redhead's eyes glance down Selina's neck as green veins form from under Selina's cuts.

"I will even let you be the one who kills him..." Ivy's lips grin wider.

* * *

**Gotham City**

**\- Wayne Tower -**

Lucius looks up from the roof as he sees the helicopter slowly descending on the helipad near the corner of the roof, its blades beginning to wind down with each passing second that it draws closer to landing. The man adjusts the cufflinks in the wrists of his suit, keeping his eyes high-above "The prodigal son returns... well it's about time." The helicopter fully lands and none other than Bruce steps out, dressed in a tailored-fitted business suit. With one glance at Lucius, his lips curve into a smile.

"When Alfred radioed me about your sudden return, well... I just couldn't believe it. It feels like a lifetime ago since we last spoke." Lucius smiles back and holds out a hand to the other man, Bruce returned the gesture and shakes Lucius' hand.

"Well at least someone missed me, that's something I guess" Bruce shrugs, slowly dropping his smile and replacing it with a firm frown "As much I wish for this to be a social visit, we both know why I'm here and what I'm going to do about it. Prep the Batsuit, Lucius... it's time to go hunting"

"... Alfred said that you promised that you were going to lay off of... you aren't in nearly good enough shape to..."

"Alfred isn't here. The criminals of this city think that they have taken back the streets, regained their power, broken the bat... they're confident... well... they're about to be in for one hell of a wake-up call," Bruce's eyes narrow, full of anger, darkness and something new. Something that is hidden under the surface, something powerful, a mystery. Bruce walks off towards the exit of the roof. Lucius sees Bruce's hurry, he lifts his right arm up.

"By the way, Harleen asked if she could be your assistant, I obviously know that you wouldn't take well to that idea so... I feel that you should let her down lightly... you wouldn't want her to feel-"

"Tell her that she's got the job" Bruce shouts back as he leaves the sight of the roof.

* * *

**30 Minutes Later**

**\- The Narrows -**

"It's him! It's him! IT'S ACTUALLY HIM! I thought he was dead!" a masked man yells as he and another masked individual run through the creaks of the alley. Their boots splash through the trail of puddles throughout the way which echoes against the narrow walls of the rat-infested path, full of rotten garbage that leak out onto the mangled and dented concrete. The man in front hyperventilates, cussing as he runs as fast as his feet could carry him "This can't be HAPPENING?! THIS... THIS CAN'T BE...!"

The masked man following behind was suddenly snared around the ankles by black rope, dropping him to the ground and to be dragged back into the darkness as he claws at the ground avoid his fate. Moments after a silhouette leaps across the rooftops. The masked man saw the swift and blurred movement in the corner of his vision. With his distracting thoughts, he failed to see the dead-end that he was quickly stumbling upon. A fence that cages off the other side of the alley.

The man rushes against the fence, trying over it. His eyes frantically look back and forth over his shoulder. Within the shadows, a black bat-shaped projectile was thrown which sliced itself right into the man's hand; splattering blood across the wall next to him. The masked man screams as he sees the Batarang stuck inside his flesh of his now blood-covered hand.

"Oh... god..., oh... god, oh god..." the man backs against the fence as he looks into the darkness as two white eyes shine from within the void.

"**No. I'm not forgiving like he is**" the dark knight growls as he steps out of the shadows. Batman grabs the masked man by the throat and uses his other hand to remove the man's balaclava. Revealing him to be a blonde with brown eyes. The man fights against the vigilante's hold, refusing to look at him.

"That ain't right, you're supposed to be gone! Bane said he destroyed you!"

"**Looks like someone lied**" Batman reaches into the pockets of the man's jacket, pulling out a business card, one belonging to the iceberg lounge "Looks like Cobblepot is up to his old tricks, time to pay him a visit." The dark knight shoves the man onto the ground, splashing his face in a puddle "**The medicine you stole, it was meant for the severely ill. Without it, they could die**"

"I'm sorry! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! PLEASE don't KILL me!"

"**Take the medicine back and return it to the people you took it from... then turn yourself in. If you don't... I'll find you again... and next time, I won't be so pleasant**" Batman grabs his grapple gun from his utility belt and fires it upward, hurling him upwards.

Batman stands on the roof, his cape swerving through the soft breezes of wind. He looks outward into the city, the home he once fought for was now segregated by checkpoints all throughout it "_It's your first night back, sir. Are you sure that you take on Oswald and his goons?_"

"**Relax, Lucius. I just want to say Hi**"

* * *

**Iceberg Lounge**

"As you can see, though Checkmate has intervened is a few of our *business practices*, they have yet to make a real blow to our business operations. In the last four months, their combined efforts roughly equate to a to around sixty-two-percent of the damage that Batman did to our operations in that time frame" Sophia Falcone informs the others that joined her in being seated around a cloth-covered table. Black Mask and Tony Zucco is seated next to her in the well-kept undergrounds, with fully sculpted ice statues, fountains of water and none other than Oswald Cobblepot who mans the front along with Riddler.

"As to be expected from a group of pansy that are all trained to think the same. You learn to knock one down, the rest soon follow" Sionis replies smoking a cigarette "Waller likes to think that she has our backs against the wall... well you know what they say, pride cometh before the fall. And when she does fall, I'll be right there to pop a cap right in her head"

Zucco rolls her eyes "Listen here you two, Checkmate is the least of our worries right now. Are you forgetting about that clown-freak that has been recruiting our men? I tell ya, that clown is planning something, and my gut is telling me that it's not good"

"You're afraid of a circus reject? How pathetic" Sophia lifts one of her eyebrows "If he was going to make a move, he would have done by now. Everyone is so afraid of him, well I'm not one to buy into undeserved hype. He's a madman... that's it"

Zucco straightens his posture, kneeling over the table "May I remind you that he is the same guy that blew up Gotham before and left it as a no man's land? And if what they say about him is true, he is planning something even bigger. A guy like that just doesn't scale down his plays..."

"Mr Zucco may be onto somethin' here, Sophia" Sionis agrees "Joker may not be on the side of the law, but don't think for a second that means that he's on our side. He's a madman, the maddest of them all. He's a sick puppy... and last time I checked... sick puppies get put to sleep, permanently"

Sophia bites her lip "If the boss didn't target Joker as a potential problem... then that's all I need to dismiss that clown. We need to follow the plan if we wish to be blessed with his promise and right now everything is going as planned, I see no reason to endanger the mission, not when we are so close"

"Does that include that woman you saw the other night?" Sionis asks.

"Woman?" Sophia shrugs.

"The one who you rode around within your limo. The one who you gave that envelope. Ringing any bells?" the man in the white suit grins "Selina Kyle, was it? Ah yes... rumour had it that her mother and your farther had... a lot of alone time together. And the timing does check out with her age, so... she wouldn't happen to be your long-lost sister?"

"Spying on me, Roman? Don't you trust me?"

"Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters" Roman replies as he sees the anger on the woman's face "Nothing personal, love. It's just the business that we are in, you should understand more than one since you father was the biggest mob boss in Gotham for years," he sees Sophia ready to reply but the lights to the club were shut off and with it, they were left in complete darkness. Oswald and Ed both glance around, trying to see within the dark.

Sionis strains his eyes, trying to focus on the slightest bit of detail that he could see. His eyes eventually land upon a pair of white-glowing eyes that glare back at him "No..."

"Shit, shit, shit" Zucco adds.

"That can't be real" Sophia's voice pitches higher.

"I know those angry eyes anywhere, Oswald" Riddler turns Penguin as they both hug each other tightly.

"REALLY, ED? YA DON'T SAY"

"**Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on...none of you are safe. One by one. I will take you all down, along with every other criminal in this city, including Waller and her team**" The dark knight stands in the middle of the club, motionless and un-phased the number of people around him "**Run, scream. Fight if you wish. This is my city and scum like you are not welcome. Tell your men, tell your enemies, tell everyone in the streets... that I have returned... and that there is no crime boss that I cannot reach, there is no corrupt politician, a dirty cop, murderer, mugger that I cannot bring to justice**"

"**Remember these words, let them haunt you, let them weigh upon your souls, let them cause you all sleepless nights... as you will want to keep your eyes open, blink... for even a moment... and I could be there, ready to take you down... to destroy your empire, to put the fear of God in you... and then... lock you away for the rest of your days..."**

"**I will be back for you, for all of you. Maybe in an hour, a day, a week, a month... but eventually... you will all be stopped, I will come for every single one of you. Do not close your eyes, do not step into the darkness, do not turn your back on the smallest of sounds, don't rest easy near the slightest shadow. Do not think that you will not be the first, do not think that you will be the last. Because right now, I am planning each and every one of your falls as I speak**"

Batman reaches into his utility belt and throws down a smoke pellet, encasing the whole room in a thick cloud of grey and ash-like fumes. Moments later, the lights to the club return back on with Sophia, Sionis, Zucco left speechless along with Penguin and Riddler.

"You wanna play games, dark knight?" Roman growls as he stands up "This time betting on black won't do you any good. No one threatens me and gets away with it, YA HEAR ME YA FREAK! NO ONE THREATENS BLACK MASK... no one..."

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**Research & Development**

**\- The Next Morning -**

"You know that Alfred is going to be pissed at you when he finds out about your adventures last night, especially since you promised him that you wouldn't suit up until you were fully recovered" Lucius advises as he and Bruce walk beside each other. Lucius holds a folder under his arm. He takes note of how care free the man was about the promise that he had broken, a promise to the closest person that Bruce had to a father, a man that Bruce respected, yet he broke his vow so quickly and without any guilt.

"I have no regrets. I did what I had to. These criminals don't fear Bruce Wayne, but Batman? After last night they should be scared, they should be on edge. They should be more likely to slip up... blow their cover. Not many people can work as adequately under pressure" Bruce shoots back, dressed in a white shirt with the collar undone and the sleeves rolled up "That's pressure that Bruce can't put on them".

"Well... I'm not going to say that this venture of yours is a complete lapse in judgment. Batman did manage to bug the iceberg Lounge during that little intimidation tactic of yours. Though I doubt that they will be too much help now, they will move to another location now that they are aware that you discovered their hideout" Lucius says as he and Bruce reach a secured door with a keypad "As well there is also the fact that both Bruce Wayne and The Batman have both returned to Gotham in the same night, that is sure going to draw up unwanted attention"

"I'm a billionaire playboy philanthropist, Lucius. I deal with unwanted attention by the medial on a daily basis" Bruce sees Lucius begin to enter the code to unlock the door "That Ski trip that the media thought that I was on? I was there... well... a very convincing body double anyway. I paid sources to *leak* the photos of my time away and the record of my back injury from the skiing. All I have to do is keep my head down and only go out as Batman for a week or so... as far as the public is concerned Bruce Wayne is still recovering in Alaska"

Lucius unlocks the door to the lad and they both enter "That should do it, considering that you can keep a low profile... all it takes is for the wrong person to see you"

"I trained with the League of Shadows for years, I think that I know a thing or two about keeping out of-" Bruce stammers as both he and Lucius' jaws drop as they both spot a familiar blonde woman sitting over by the lab computer. Harleen Quinzel looks dazed, her eyes now fixated on Bruce. The blonde wore her casual wear. A red dress and black leggings, her hair tied into a pony tail and her glasses on. Her blue eyes stammer as she was still in awe.

"You... you had one job, Lucius" Bruce exhales softly.

"Indeed I do, yet you have me do all the other crap for you"

"Bruce...? You're back? But... but weren't you meant to still be on that ski trip...?" Harleen stands and hurries towards the dark-haired man "Lucius said that you would be back soon, but I never figured... it would be this soon... wow..."

"How did you get in here? This is a secure area..." Lucius intervenes between the blonde and Bruce.

"About that..." Harleen turns her head to the computer with a red jacket laying over the desk "When I was in here before... I kinda forgot my jacket... so... with having the photographic memory that I have - which was the only thing I got from my mom... well besides all those years of verbal... and sometimes physical abuse... I sorta remembered the code. So... instead of coming over and disturbing you... I kinda thought I could just come and get it without bothering you..."

"Well... crises averted then. Now if you don't mind... Lucius and I have important business to go over" Bruce informs Harleen with a stern look.

"All the way down here? Doncha have an office for that sorta thing?"

"It's private business, Harleen" Bruce adds.

"You could always lock ya door and draw the blinds. Don't see the need to come all the way down here"

"Very, Very private business, Harleen"

"Have it ya way, boss" Harleen moves over and puts on her jacket. Her eyes glimmer as a look of clarity washes over her features. Bruce looks to her, confronted by his own image in the blonde's glasses "We haven't seen each other for months, Bruce. Would a *hello* kill ya? Harvey needs ya, Bruce. He's already been betrayed by one friend... please don't let him lose faith in ya. He's goin' through a real rough patch, Bruce. He needs ya, I need ya - but by all means... keep hiding down here"

"Rough path? What happened to him? Is he alright?" Bruce lost his stern glare, changing his expression to a worried appearance.

"Ya haven't heard?" Harleen lifts her eyebrows with a frown "Why doncha ask ya friend the commissioner. That is if he even has in him to tell ya the truth..." she heads towards the exit of the room. Her lips slightly curve into a smile as she looks back to Bruce "It's good to see ya, Bruce... I mean that..." Harleen leaves the room which left the two men by their selves.

"Well... there's my cover story blown..." Bruce rolls his eyes, leaning over and sitting on the desk, crossing his arms.

"I'll take it that it's not the best time to bring up that Harleen isn't the only woman who has a bone to pick with you" Lucius walks over to the computer, searching over the monitor "The last time you and Selina spoke to each other... some words were thrown, probably some words that you didn't mean... maybe some words that you should consider apologizing for. Maybe to Talia too..."

"I may have had my back broken that night... but I took home something else. A realization that I can't afford to trust everyone that I care about. I should have kept Selina far away from me, not just for her sake... but for mine. Joker messed with her head because she was important to me... he used her to stab another woman that I had feelings for... Joker used her, like a toy... all to spite me..." Bruce looks down to the floor "And to top it all off, Selina used Talia's knowledge of Alfred as blackmail... they both hid it from me... they both hid hope from me... they treated Alfred like he wasn't even a human being... just to play mind games with each other..." Bruce turns to Lucius "...How can I forgive that?"

"Bruce..." Lucius sees the hurt in the other man's eyes "Trust me, Bruce. They don't feel good about doing that, I see the regret in their eyes every time that I see them. Forgiveness... isn't about forgetting one's past transgressions but rather seeing their potential for good, not to ignore all the good that they have also done... I guess that it's up to you to decide which is more important to you. All the times that they betrayed your trust or all the times that they proved it wasn't ill-placed"

"Believing in the best of people... is Superman's thing, I'm there to stop them at their worst"

"Whatever you decide, Bruce... Harvey and Harleen aren't the ones who betrayed your trust... and funny enough... you still just pushed one of them away. Harleen is an alley... maybe not to Batman... but to someone just as important... Bruce Wayne. So stop acting like Bruce can't make a difference... because he already has..."

"Thanks, Lucius... it's like I haven't even left home" Bruce pushes himself off of the desk.

"Gotham is your home, Bruce. It's our home. This city is now a warzone... not just between police and criminals... but also the people of the streets... so... what good will even more people hating each other bring? if you can't bring yourself to forgive them for yourself... do it for the city... just as all the other sacrifices that you have made" Lucius offers as he works on the computer "Your parents saw the good in Gotham and now it's up to you to bring their vision to life..."

* * *

**Gotham Docks**

The early hours of the morning brought about a dull grey sky with little snowfall. It was cold, cold enough to make one's breath visible. Sophia Falcone steps out of her limousine, covering her eyes with a pair of sunglasses. Hands tucked within the pockets of her trench coat. She spots another limo across from her, she slowly makes her away towards it and enters. She now sits opposite a shadowed man disguised among darkness.

Sophia grins "I know that you aren't too fond of being drawn away from your work but we have a situation... one with a pair of pointy ears and a cape... Batman is back in Gotham and sure as hell made it known. He crashed our party and warned us that he was going to be coming for us. I think that it is best that we act now and take him about before he can stop the plan... and the arrival of the meteor." Sophia sees the shadowed figure remained still, not even being moved by the information.

"He is of no concern. Let him have his fun" the silhouetted figure grumbles "I have walked this earth for millenniums and have encountered the most righteous of men... and history has forgotten them all. Humans are just dust awaiting to be collected... a day will come where no one shall remember him nor the lives he saved..." the male voice adds.

"But if he is to stop us... we may never live to see the day that our plan comes to pass" Sophia argues.

"No... but I will" the man replies with a cold tone "Dark days are coming, they are near and when they finally arrive. Humanity will be forced to ascend to survive, it is up to us to see that we as a species are able to survive the oncoming storm... in just over seven months... the world shall be reborn and humans along with it"

"I understand what needs to be done, Vandal. But what is stumping me is that even with the working relationship that we have, you parade Sionis around as being your right-hand. Have I not shown to you that I am the one who can be counted on?" Sophia crosses her legs and leans towards the shadowed man "Why is he still bossing me around?"

"He has the biggest influence in Gotham among us, his involvement is mandatory for what is to come... though he ruled by his pride - the most damning of the seven sins. His ego would not allow him to answer to anyone besides what he considers a god" the shadowed man moves forward, showing to be a man with short-dark haire that was combed back with grey pupils and a clean-shaven face. The man has a scar over his left eye. He is dressed in a Victorian-style tailed black coat that was buttoned up half-way. The man was known by many names and one of his most favoured aliases was Vandal Savage.

"In due time you shall take your place next to me but for now you need to wait. Take my words to be true as only I am familiar with the true meaning of patience" Vandal smirks.

* * *

**The Narrows**

**\- Harleen's Apartment -**

"Are you sure that he's back?" Harvey Dent stammers, hands shaking and spilling the cup of coffee in his grip. The left side of his face was still hidden, bandaged over and shielded from the world. He sits on the couch with Harleen as they feel the warmth from the heater. They were tucked under a red and black demanded-themed blanket as their eyes were focused on the television on the stand in front of them. Harvey was shivering, not on the level of shaking but still enough for Harleen to feel the vibrations "He can't be... can he? Why would he come back...? I don't understand"

"I don't know. He looked like he had a lot on his mind - I don't need my psychology degree to see that" the blonde warmly answers to the best of her ability as she held onto her own cup, one of hot chocolate "It looked like his return was meant to be kept a secret or somethin'. And I didn't even get a *hiya* from him. He looked at me like I was dirt, no... like I was less than dirt"

"Can't think clearly... can't think... need... need... need..." Harvey winces in pain "Wish... he... was here..."

"I know, Harv" Harleen smiles to him "Guess we just have to accept that we are on our own..."

Harley and Harvey both turn as they hear a knock at the door of the apartment. Harleen gets up, patting the man on the shoulder "Be back in a sec," she heads towards the entrance of her apartment and glances through the viewer. Her eyes widen as Bruce Wayne was standing at her door. She takes a step back as inhales. She quickly dusts herself off and tries to fix her hair. A smile forms on her lips as she opens the door and comes face to face with the man.

Bruce Wayne stood, dressed in a white-plain shirt with the collar undone under a black jacket. His hair was combed back, though a few stands found their place over his forehead. He stands with a soft smile, hands held behind his back "Hope that I'm not interrupting anything... can I come in?"

"Oh... yes..." Harleen sheepishly nods, stepping back and letting the billionaire walks in with his right hand behind his back. Bruce closes the door behind him while keeping his eyes on the blonde. Harleen looks over her shoulder to the path that leads into the living room "I only asked for the part of your assistant and you're already over mine? Wow... ya... don't waste any time do you?" she nervously laughs only to straighten her posture. She shyly looks back to him "That was... inappropriate, wasn't it? I'm sorry... I wasn't... wasn't expecting you... in my apartment... this late... I mean... I dreamed about it... but I never expected for you- ya know what... never mind"

"Hello, Harley" Bruce smiles "Listen... about earlier... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I was a jerk and I apologize..." he brings his right hand around and holds it to the blonde which showed her the bouquet of flowers in his hand "I'm used to being in the doghouse with women... but you're one of the first that isn't one of my exes"

"Well... I've been treated worse... no worries. I'll put these somewhere..." Harleen grabs the bouquet from Bruce and heads towards the kitchen "He's in the living room..."

Bruce inhales as he readies himself for what happens next. He enters the living room where he sees Harvey having his back to him. The billionaire pushes himself forward and walks until he stands behind the couch. His eyes look at the television. It was on the news and had the reporter he recognized, a redhead woman with blue eyes. He thinks her name was Vicky Vale, he wasn't really one to pay too much attention to the news when it didn't involve him.

His eyes focus on the headline

* * *

_**BATMAN RETURNS?**_

* * *

_"After four months since the last sighting, there has been a sudden emergence of eye-witnesses accounts of seeing the well-documented vigilante. As well a man in the G.C.P.D custody claim that he was attacked by The Batman. With the all-but-confirmed return of the dark knight, it brings up a whole new number of questions in an already hopeless time. Is Batman going to save the city or will he add to the mayhem that is shaking the city to its core? Will Batman bring more fear to an already scared public - only time will tell"_

"I guess we're about to find out," Bruce says under his breath, glancing down to Harvey "Hi, Harv"

Dent slowly turns his head, almost as if he was scared, petrified even. He eyes eventually land on Bruce and with it, his eyes light up. Harvey pulls himself up, still shaking and shy "...It's really you?"

"I'm sorry that I wasn't here sooner, Harvey... Lucius told me what happened... I'm... so... sorry"

"It wasn't your fault, Bruce. You weren't there..." Harvey walks around and throws his arms around Bruce. Bruce's eye widens as he sees the distress in the man's tone, posture. His trembling voice, his shaking hands. Bruce's eyes begin to water.

"No... I should have been there. I could... I could have..." Bruce couldn't get the words out as he feels the disturbed man begin to cry.

"I... I thought that I was going to die... I thought I was going to die..." Harvey cries, whimpering and tightening his hold around Bruce "I was... was lying in a pool of my own blood... my face was stuck to the ground... I was chocking on my blood... I can't sleep since then... Can't even sleep..."

"I should have been there, Harvey... maybe I could have stopped what happened to you. But I swear to you, I'm here now. I'm here for you now, Harvey" Bruce witnesses Harvey still sobbing, breaking down as if he was holding back all of his trauma, keeping as strong as he could... for as long as he could until he just couldn't anymore.

[Bruce - P.0.V]  
*Harvey and I both almost died that night, I by the criminals I swore to stop. Him, the people who swore to protect the people of Gotham. For the four months where I couldn't walk or do anything by myself, I only had one thought that kept me going. That I would eventually heal and come back to stop the scum of Gotham just like when I first dawned the cowl. But. Selina, Talia, Gordon, Lucius, Harleen, Harvey? I never thought about them once... my whole mind was ruled by vengeance, by Batman. I let my anger blind me, in my attempt to become strong enough to protect my city, I walled off the people that made me want to fight for it in the first place. I know that now, I can't save a world that I refuse to be a part of*

Harleen stands at the doorframe of the room, arms folded as she looks at the two men. Her lips curve into a smile "I guess the band is back together then? Good. It rocks being friends with a billionaire. Speaking of which... about that job. I don't want ya to feel like I'm rushing you... but have you... come up with an answer" she nervously pushes her digits together.

"What?" Bruce turns to Harleen "Oh. Of course... I'm in need of a new assistant since... my last one... is dead. Hopefully, I can make it a safer position this time." Bruce and Harvey both turn their bodies to match the direction of their gaze "Actually, that's the other reason that I'm here. Wayne Enterprise owns a number of penthouses all over the city. I think that they will be safer for you then... here. Oh... and you start on Monday, Harley. Be there bright and early"

"Thanks, Bruce... I won't let you down... you can trust me..." Harleen smiles.

"I know" the man returns with his own smile "Harvey... your welcome to join Wayne Enterprise too. I'm always in the market for even more lawyers. You can never too safe," Bruce sees Harvey nod in agreement with his offer.

"Let's change the city, Bruce. Like we promised"

"That's one promise that I'm not planning on breaking anytime soon," Bruce and Harvey both walk out of the room which left Harleen by herself. The blonde's eyes begin to water, messing up her eye-liner and causing black trails to drip down her cheeks. She holds her hands over her chest and looks down to the ground.

* * *

**Across Gotham Skyline**

Bruce's P.O.V

That night in Crime Alley changed me, it changed my world and everyone around me. Martha and Thomas Wayne were murdered because they fought against the corruption that plagued this city. That night still haunts me, I can still see that moment every time I close my eyes. I may have promised Harvey that I was going to save the city... but I made the promise a long time ago. I made that vow as the first pearl hit the ground, as the first shot went off, as the first scream echoed off the walls. As the first drop of blood was spilt. That is when I made that promise.

In that moment, the Wayne name meant nothing. It was worthless to me, my mother, my father and the bastard that killed them. At that moment I wasn't a Wayne, I was a scared little kid. For years the Wayne name meant nothing to me... it meant nothing to their killer. It was just a job for him, he would have gone through with it if they had any other name. But I do know one name that matters, a name that makes all the difference, one that brings the same fear to the criminals of Gotham as the dread I felt in crime alley on that night.

Batman

And

It

Will

Be

Remembered.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Lucius' Office -**

Lucius gets up from his chair as his eyes look out through the large glass window that leads out to the city. His eyes faintly reflect the sight of a large bat symbol. He folds his arms as he steps closer towards the glass "Oh... you got to be kidding me..."

**Across Gotham**

**\- Sirens Club -**

Barbara Kean looks closer through the window into the outside world as she too sees the brightened sky. Her eyes fixate as her daughter too glances at the light through the glass "Cool...!" the girl smiles as she looks to be dazed by the light.

"Looks like Jimmy is going to have some explaining to do" Barbara Kean smirks.

**Streets of Gotham**

Selina Kyle looks up from the streets into the sky above the city. Her eyes reflect the bat symbol that shines brightly high above. Her eyes narrow into a glare and she grits her teeth "And here we go... again..." the dark-haired woman says in a cold-as-ice tone.

**Across Gotham**

Talia al Ghul smirks as she too sees the beam of light aimed high above in the clouds. Dressed in a tight-fitting black dress and a cup of wine in her hand. She raises her eyebrows and steadily shakes her head "Subtlety never was your specialty, has it? Happy hunting, my beloved"

**Gotham Rooftops**

A knight-themed armoured man leaps off onto the next rooftop over. He lands in a kneeling position. His eyes look up to the sign in the sky "It is as the prophecy foretold… the dark knight lives once more..." The knight slowly ascends to his knees. Azrael stands on the ledge with his hands on his hips. His red cape fluttering through the wind.

**G.C.P.D Precinct**

"Jim! Jim! JIM! COME AND LOOK AT THIS!" Harvey Bullock's voice cracks as he alerts his partner to the sight outside. Jim Gordon runs out of the building and stops when he's standing beside Bullock. James' eyes widen as he too beholds the sight, the same as Harvey "Holy..."

"...Scare away the darkness..." Gordon mumbles to himself.

On top of the G.C.P.D the large shines brightly into the night-sky and with it came a clear-as-day large bat-symbol. The Dark Knight stands above on the rooftop next to the signal as he too looks up at his own work. His cape slowly swerves. His hands tighten into fists and a look of certainly takes over his face. The white eyes from the cowl glare upward. Lightning strikes down in the middle of the city and a harsh storm of thunder and rain soon follow.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**


	29. Alwatwat

**Alwatwat **

* * *

**Gotham City**

\- **Wayne Tower -**

**Research & Development**

Lucius Fox and Bruce Wayne look at the large monitor that displays a map of the city and all points of interest. Lucius mans the computer, selecting and focusing in on key details. Bruce too observes, eyes not withdrawing from their path. His vision tirelessly never stops trying to catch every single detail, no matter how minute or seemingly unhelpful. The years he spent training did more than tone his body and skills but also his mind. A thousand thoughts came from the littlest possible hint.

"Bruce... you are aware that some people believe that subtlety is an art form, right? That giant stunt back there... was way too outlandish and reckless" Lucius offers his reason, not taking his eyes from the screen, nor shuddering at the other man's disapproval. He couldn't see him, yet somehow he could feel Bruce's anger. Lucius was trusting of Bruce. More so than anyone besides his own family. He is aware of how Bruce would never bring him harm but that didn't stop him from dreading that there was a chance that he would somehow not conform to his trust.

"I'm not an artistic person" the billionaire scowls, rolling his eyes in detest "First night back and I had to make a strong statement. The G.C.P.D, the criminals and even Checkmate now all know that the Batman has returned"

"Bruce..." Lucius shifts his neck, glancing at Bruce with the corner of his vision "You're still hurt, remember? You could have used Gotham not knowing about your return to your advantage. Maybe you could have caught the targets off guard... but now? Now they know that you are coming for them... and they will be ready for you..."

"They'll think that they are prepared" Bruce glances over to an opened briefcase, one that was full of rows of newly formed Batarangs. He reaches over and grabs onto one and holds it up "Things are crazy out there, Lucius and unless I act now... whose know what other complications will make their self know"

"This will probably only result in a waste of breath but have you considered bringing Selina and Talia into the fold? They are equipped to deal with this... they have been doing just that. The pair of them have helped take some of Gotham's most notorious criminals" Lucius suggests all-but knowing that his proposal will most definitely fall upon deaf ears.

"No. They're not getting involved. This is my battle" Bruce was quick to dismiss the other man's plan. Bruce's features firm, his eyes slightly narrow as the harsh-toned words leave him. He keeps his eyes trained on the Batarang in hand "They've done enough already"

"I can't tell if that's pride or concern in your voice, Bruce" Lucius notes, seeing the subtle change in the man's expression. Lucius turns back to the screen, observing the city's map. Lucius' eyes open-wider as he sees a new tab open "Security Alert, Apparently there's someone in your office... which is strange since it's still locked and no signs of forced entry"

"Stay here and keep an eye on things. I'm gonna check it out. It's late so I can go up there with no problem" Bruce informs the man stood beside him.

* * *

**Bruce's Office**

Bruce walks into his office, slamming open the door and is greeted the sight of the back of his chair with blond hair poking out. The billionaire crosses his arms and glares at the man sitting in his chair "How the hell did you get in here?" Bruce demands, clearly out of patience. He slowly makes his away towards the desk of his office and the man that was sat in his own chair "I asked you a question and I'm not a fan of repeating myself!"

"All these years later and you haven't softened up one bit" the hidden man replies with a coy tone. His voice stops Bruce in his tracks. His whole body seems to become numb at the sound of it, preconizing both it and its owner. The dark-haired man's eyes narrow.

"You...? What are you doing here?" Bruce growls.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend, Bruce?" the chair spins around which puts Bruce in eye-contact with a blonde man whose dressed in a tight-fitting unbuttoned collar shirt. The man has blue eyes and a neatly trimmed beard. Oliver Queen smiles, getting up from the chair and holding out his hand to Bruce "It's nice to see you again, Bruce". Oliver greets the other man with a smile. However, Bruce couldn't be any further from the blonde's composure.

* * *

**6 Years Earlier...**

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat -**

"You have proven yourself so far, but that was merely child's play compared to what trials yet await you, Alwatwat" a woman of Asian descent speaks from up high. Dressed in a shinobi shozoku which had long red streaks. Her long raven hair peaks out from her hood. Her hazel eyes stare down to a man kneeling before here. A man who too was dressed in an all-black gab. The man rests his right arm over his curved knee as he looks up to the woman above. The ancient-looking chamber was brightened by several flames that path around the room.

"If you keep fighting with mercy then you will most certainly die here soon enough" the woman walks down the stone steps and comes closer to the kneeling man. Lady Shiva draws her blade and swings it, just stopping less than a centimetre to the man's neck. Shiva takes notes of how the man before her was doing, not showing any fear, he did not flinch or appear to have been uneased by her announced play. A smile forms on her hips, though hidden behind her attire "Stand, Alwatwat."

The masked man ascends to his feet. Bowing his head in respect of the woman in front of him. Shiva returns her blade back to its sheath, not taking her eyes off of the man "The great Ra's Al Ghul told of you one day leading the Shadows... and to do such a task, you must first become one among the darkness." The man's dark hair escaped the confines of his hood, sweeping down on his forehead in a short fringe that stops just above his eyebrows.

"Take off your zukin" Shiva commands. The man obeys as he pulls down his hood and lifts his head up to look the woman in the eyes. Bruce Wayne stands motionless, not even blinking or shifting his gaze away. His hair was a mess with multiple strands poking outward or being stuck down to his forehead. His face has a growing beard, one that was somewhat untidy and messed. The metallic gauntlet around his wrists, the angled belt around his waist with a crafted bat-like buckle. The high-black boots that rise to his shins, the fingerless leather gloves and rope that too was placed over his arms, tied over and knotted.

Lady Shiva's lips begin to curve into a slight smirk "Again!" she screams as she readies her blade once again. Bruce pulls his hood back over and his fukuman over his mouth. He and Lady Shiva walk backwards to form distance between them. Alwatwat readies himself, lifting both of his arms up in a battle stance along with curving his knees. The Asian woman takes her time as she looks over the man from head to toe, all his previous injuries, all his openings for attacks and judging what moves he is too make against her.

"Begin!" She announces as she and Bruce run towards each other.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Present Day - **

Bruce was dazed, his mind flustering with his thoughts. He was quick to be pulled out of it when he hears Oliver's voice raise, loud enough to break through the magnitude of thoughts that were ramming against each other in his head. Bruce's eyes return over to the blond man "Why are you here, Oliver? I heard that Star City is having its own crises right now"

"Good to see you, Bruce. You haven't changed one bit since we last talked... or fought would be a more accurate term" the blond smiles as he slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans "Please, my friends call me Ollie"

"We're. Not. Friends" Bruce debunks the other man's notions with venom in his tone.

"Really? But we have so much in common" Queen shrugs "We're both billionaires who own one of the most powerful companies in the whole world, both of our parents are gone, we both saw the corruption in our cities and chose to something about it. Not to mention we are both news-worthy vigilantes, apparently, you were serious about that whole bat motif. Here I was thinking that you were just going through a phase" Oliver says to Bruce in a joking manner.

"Says the Robin Hood wannabe" Bruce exhales letting his annoyance be known by the blond "For the last time... what are you doing here? Don't you have an archery lesson to attend or something?" Oliver softly shakes his head.

"Don't worry, this isn't a social visit... I know how you are with anything that involves communication with another human being" Oliver explains as looks down to the desk and picks up a closed folder "A couple of nights ago, I stopped what I thought was a basic fetch quest for my rogues. But it turns out what they were after was a lot more interesting" Oliver sits down on the desk "It was a shipment from your company... which shouldn't have been anything special but... then I remembered that this whole city is on lockdown..."

"I wasn't made aware of any authorized shipments to Star City. In fact, Wayne Enterprise hasn't dealt in that city for years since Queen Consolidated took over as the tech major there," Bruce replies unsure of Oliver's words. He then sees a shift in Queen's expression. One that showed him that was the answer that he expected to receive, an answer that he was ready for.

"There's one more thing that you should know... that shipment was disguised. It was branded in Checkmate logos. But I've looked into it, that shipment did originate from a Wayne facility... which means Checkmate may be using your business as a backdoor for exporting their tech"

"You came all the way to Gotham to tell me that? You could have called" Bruce glares at Oliver.

"Not exactly" Oliver stands up grabbing his jacket from the desk "I've come here to put a stop to it. I can't have them sending this kind of tech to my city... or anywhere else. If Count Vertigo could get his hands on it, it's only a matter of time before someone worse gets their hands on it"

"Do you think that Oliver Queen can just waltz in the Checkmate base and demand answers? They've put people in the hospital just for loitering..." Bruce asks the other man. Oliver dismisses his concern with a well-placed smirk as he puts on his black overcoat. He walks past Bruce and nudges him.

"Who said anything about Oliver Queen?" he winks at Bruce as he walks out of the office which left Bruce standing alone. His mind was now buzzing once more, his mind full of roaming thoughts and wandering memories. His eyes narrow, viciously so, like a whole new feeling of hate was formed within him.

"Waller..." he growls under his breath.

* * *

**6 Years Earlier **

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat - **

"Faster" Lady Shiva orders as she swings her katana at Bruce who dodges under it. Lady Shiva spins on her heels of her boots as she swings again with her sword, this time she aimed her attacks to move down vertically. With only less than a second to plan his defence, Bruce lifts up his right arm and with it, the blade collides with the gauntlet on his wrist; causing a small flurry of sparks to form between the weapon and the man's wrist. Shiva sees the result of the man's quick thinking. Her features soften for a mere moment before her ferocity returns.

"Fight like you mean it!" the woman instructs Bruce as she takes another swing at him with the tip of her blade reflecting Bruce's masked image. The man returns his guard, ducking under the first attack, then rolling out of the way of the second. Now lying on his back he sees the third swing coming. His eyes narrow as he uses his arms to propel him upwards, readying his feet to kick the woman away and with it making her drop the katana. Realizing that he now had a chance, he made no waste of time. He regained his footing and grabbed the sword mid-air and holds against Shiva's neck.

Lady Shiva hums amused Her gloved hand comes up, tracing her fingers across the tip of the blade "My attacks would have proven to be fatal if they landed yet you still held yourself back. If you wish to go down the path of restraint you must always remember...". Shiva grabs onto the hilt of the blade and yanks it away from Bruce and rams it through his left shoulder. Bruce screams in pain as the blade cut through his body and through his shoulder "Your foes will not share your resolve" Shiva grabs onto the man's left shoulder as she forces the blade further through his left shoulder, earning whimpers from the man with him dribbling blood.

The pain overtook Bruce, making him kneel down with Shiva following down to retain eye-contact with him "Alwatwat, you must learn to overcome this childish pride of yours. You had the blade at my throat yet you were unsure of yourself, your grasp on it was weak, pitiful." she sees the man squirm under her, blood soaking his garbs and him wincing in agony. Shiva's gloved hand tightens around the hilt and she yanks the katana right out of the man's should with a single pull.

Bruce swoops onto the floor, grasping his hurt shoulder and grunting.

The woman's brown eyes firm on Bruce, her gloved hand reaching over and yanking the zukin which revealed his face to her. Her left hand constricts into a fist as she grabs his hair and yanks his head up towards her. Bruce's eyes stiffen at the action. Shiva curves her right leg and with her right hand manoeuvring her blade against the surface of his neck. Bruce's body shudders as the cold blade slivers against his exposed flesh "Relax yourself, American. If I wanted you dead... you wouldn't even see it coming. Ra's al Ghul foresaw your destiny and I will see his vision come true... otherwise... you shall die here"

Lady Shiva releases her grip on the man's hair and ascends until she stands. She returns her blade to the sheath on her back "Maybe I am going all about your training wrong, Alwatwat. It may be the case that you require a uke to help hone your skills, someone who is similar to you. Though you will still be the palooka. Return to your chamber. We shall speak again soon." Bruce hears the woman order him. He follows, fighting to move off of the ground, supporting his shoulder with his now bloodstained hand.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Present Day -**

_"Bruce? Bruce, can you hear me?"_

Bruce's eyes double-take as he is ripped out of his thoughts, realizing that he was still standing inside his office. His vision moves over, seeing that his right hand was over his left shoulder. He turns his head towards the doors to the room "I- I'm fine, Lucius. I'm just...- I'm fine"

_"I've been trying to reach you for almost ten minutes. Something's come up, something that requites your attention"_

"What's happening?" Bruce asks, his eyes looking over the photographs left by Oliver.

_"Reports just came in, there's been a break in at the hostel at the edge of the Narrows. Most likely it's a guy trying to get his hands on the supplies there"_

"Not again" Bruce grits his teeth "Prep the Batsuit, Lucius. There's people in desperate need of the medical treatment there. I can't let it be stolen" Bruce hurries out of the room.

* * *

**Across Gotham**

Batman, the Dark Knight swoops down onto the alley, his cape expanding and lightening the fall. His boots splash down in a trail of unclean water that soaks the path leading out. He rolls his shoulders back, his cape droops around his shoulders and his bright-white eyes shine within the dark shadow of night "**I'm here, Lucius. I'm heading towards the back entrance,**". The vigilante paces over around the corner leaning deeper into the path behind the building.

"_You may be too late, Bruce. There is a high chance that the culprit is long_ gone"

Batman's eyes land upon the sight of the backdoors. He notices how they appear to have been rammed open. He slowly enters and stops as soon as he glimpsed the inside "**I don't think he's going anywhere, I don't any of them are...**". Batman looks all over, seeing a group of bloodied men lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood. He walks over and kneels next to one of the downed men. Moving his finger to the man's neck "**They're all dead, Lucius. It's a blood bath"**

_"What could have done this, Bruce?"_

Batman stands back up and looks over. His eyes widening as his vision lands upon the sight of a white rose resting over one of the corpses. His body was overrun by a sudden surge of fear. He carefully walks towards it and picks it up. His eyes were glued to the rose, his fist tightens around it "**Not what but who. A ghost from the past...**" Batman scrunches up the rose and drops it onto the floor. Batman's ear's pick up the sound of police sirens which were getting closer to him by the second.

"_A ghost, Bruce? Since when did you begin to believe in such things?"_ Lucius inquires.

* * *

**6 Years Earlier **

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat - **

Bruce sits shirtless on the floor of the chamber as he bandages up the wound in his shoulder, unwrapping the bandage. His expression shows his feeling of discomfort, the pain that attacks his nerves each time a new layer was made over his shoulder. The few layers that he had managed to secure around him were already showing to be stained by the blood that leaks from his injury. The sombre cackling of the flames that soar in the lanterns placed around the room. The faint sound of rain that he could hear, all of it helped deviate the haunting thoughts of isolation, loneliness and even some of helped as a small distraction of the physical pain that plagued the inside of his body.

"Selina..." he closes his eyes and whispers, trying to remember the girl that he left behind, the girl who he wanted to be with. His mind wondered about her every day, how she was doing if she had met anyone else. if she moved on. He wished her the best, he wanted the best for her. The feeling of regret clawed away at him, the thought of him hurting her, breaking her heart. Not a single day goes by where he doesn't regret leaving her and not giving her a proper farewell.

His short-lived feeling of tranquillity was soon broken as the doors to the chamber were kicked open. Bruce jumps to his feet, seeing Shiva standing with her hands on her hips. There were two other League of Shadow members stood on her sides. He sees the two shadow members run towards him, grabbing him by the arms and forcing him to kneel before the woman who saunters her way to him. Bruce struggles to break free, trying to pull his arms out of the men's grip but he didn't have enough strength. As well the strain on his left arm caused a whole new level of pain for him, to the point where he couldn't even hold back his screams of agony.

"What - What are you doing!? What's going on!?" Bruce panics as he keeps up his attempts to escape.

"The time has come, Alwatwat" Lady Shiva kneels down and grabs Bruce's chin, forcing his gaze to focus on her own eyes and pulling down her fukuman which left Bruce to see her lips curve into a smirk "You have been at Nanda Parbat for a few weeks now yet you refuse to follow our customs, you fight against doing what is needed to join the shadows, your failure to even have the vision to one day lead us...". Bruce stares into her mesmerizing brown eyes as they reflect his gaze "Ra's believed that he saw a dark saviour within you, but I? I see nothing more than a waste of air. You must prove yourself to the shadows or die by our hand"

"I'm not taking anyone's life, so you might as well kill me now..." Bruce grits his teeth as he growls.

"Death comes in many forms, Alwatwat. By the time we're finished, you are going to desire to become food for the worms." Shiva stands back up and folds her arms "You like to pretend that you aren't a monster, that you can fight for the people without spilling a single drop of blood. Let's make sure that you shall always remember the darkness within you... we shall see to it that you honour your new name, Alwatwat... The Bat."

**Lower Chambers **

Bruce stands with his wrists shackled to the ceiling which strung him up. He shakes his arms, trying to break free of their hold on him "Let me out of here! What the hell are you doing? What the hell are you doing!?" he yells. Shiva circles around him, her hands tracing over the bare skin of his torso. Her fingers harshly guide along his flesh, almost like claws - like she was making an active effort to cause damage "What the hell are you doing? Let me go!"

"Hush, Alwatwat. Save your breath for what comes next..." Shiva whispers as she picks up a branding iron from over the heater. Bruce sees the iron in the woman's grip which made him increase his fight against the chains, he violently tries to rip his arms out of the shackles but to no result. Shiva smirks as she slowly moves the iron to the man's bare chest. The end of the iron was welded into the shape of a bat "Like it? I designed it myself, it was shaped to resemble the Chiroptera... I'll take it that you know the more common name, right?"

"... Don't you dare!" Bruce keeps fighting against the chains.

"Where was this anger earlier?" Shiva lifts her eyebrows. She then presses the hot-red brand against the man's chest. Bruce's eyes widen, he screams in pure agony. He throws his head back and let loose a blood-curdling cry, one that filled the chamber and many floors above. Bruce's eyes water, his breath spikes and his body is thrown into an abyss of torture. The pain of his sizzling flesh being scarred by the brand, the absolute affliction of his skin peeling away, his body that was fighting the urge to give up, to surrender to the pain.

He screams, over and over as his flesh is burned deeper and deeper. His vision blurs, making the world feel like it was spinning out of control. The sounds of his own screams and flesh sizzling were all that he makes out with all of his senses going into disarray and shutting down. Soon everything became dark as his vision fades away and eventually so does the sound around him, eventually he was left in a pitch dark void.

* * *

**Present Day**

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Batbunker -**

Bruce stands before a glass case which holds the Batsuit on display. His reflection looks right back at him, returning his cold glare. From the other side of the room, Lucius could see the troubled look that Bruce was giving off "So, do you want to tell me what's going on with you, Mr Wayne? You've been acting strange ever since you got back from that crime scene"

"No, Lucius. I don't" Bruce keeps his eyes on the display case "You're a whole lot better off not knowing"

Not happy with Bruce's answer, Lucius made his disappointment known by asserting himself. He stands between Bruce and the Batsuit "No, Bruce. This is now how we are going to play it. You were all but eager to get this whole vigilante thing going again but now your clearly shaken by something and I want to know what. You cannot leave me in the dark here, Bruce. I'm the only person helping you right now and I can't do that unless you tell me what we are dealing with here"

"You need to listen to me, Lucius. This isn't something that you want to get involved with" Bruce replies, his voice taking a commanding tone. Lucius displeased with Bruce's response steps out of his way and walks over to the large computer placed in the side of the room.

"Five people are dead, Bruce. Sure, they may not have been role model citizens... but that doesn't change that there are five bodies. Since when are you fine with letting a murderer walk the streets?"

"I'm not" Bruce growls "I will look into this, I swear. But I can't have anyone else getting involved... I can't take that risk" Bruce's hand lightly touches his chest, mimicking the pattern of the brand he was given years ago "I need your expertise on something else in the meantime. Oliver Queen stopped by, he gave me photographs of Checkmate using my Company to export their technology to Star City and who knows where else... I need you to look into this" Bruce turns to Lucius.

"I'll see what I can do" Lucius agrees.

Bruce sombrely nods as he hands the folder over to the man "Thank you, Lucius"

"Don't go making me regret letting you go off on your own. Don't go getting yourself killed"

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

Jim Gordon kneels on the ground, looking over multiple body bags laid out across the ground. The sight was swarming with other G.C.P.D officers along with a number of Checkmate soldiers who keep the perimeter up around the sight. His eyes look over the trail of blood that was stained into the ground, the harsh iron smell and the cold mixed together to create a metallic stench, like the true scent of death. His mind was too preoccupied with his forethoughts that he didn't pick up on the sound of someone approaching behind him.

"You've come here to mess up my operations even more?" a cold voice blasts the commissioner. Turning his head, Jim sees Waller standing next to him "Forensics are saying that these poor sons of bitches deaths were caused by a sword. So I'll save you the breath that you would have used to defend your precious vigilante. These men are estimated to have been dead for over an hour, we haven't gotten a rundown on their identities yet. Still waiting for the results"

"What about the person who did this? You got a suspect yet?" Gordon stands up and slides his hands into the pockets of his overcoat "Crane, Eduardo, Pike, Nygma, Cobblepot, Sionis, Falcone. None of them is known for this modus operandi"

"Clever boy" Amanda remarks giving Gordon a patronizing smile "Though some of Gotham's worse is known for these tactics of dismemberment, this was too... clean. Whoever did this must be quite talented with their swords. Forensics told me that whatever went down here... happened in seconds"

"So we know how, but not who and why? There's got to be something here that may lead to the perps reason for doing this. That should help us find out who did this" James Gordon asks his superior. Amanda simply blinks, not replying to the man's quarry.

"You already know why, don't you?"

"Unfortunately, I do" Waller confirms. She beckons one of the officers over to her and he hands over a plastic bag. She takes it off of him and shows it to Jim. The commissioners is confused by the inclusion of a crushed white rose in the bag "Beautiful, is it not? Well... looks can be deceiving"

"It looks like just a rose to me" Gordon remarks.

"That's the point" Waller muses "This little thing is a rare breed... home to Tibet. It may look pretty but do not be fooled... its thorns are laced with a poison that can kill an elephant in hours and a man in mere minutes. The natives there have come to know of it as the aljamal alqatil, also known as beautiful death" Waller explains to the commissioner.

"So how does the rose fit into their reasoning for doing this?"

"It's a calling card, for someone who also knows of this deadly flower. A man who just made his presence known to the whole entire city... it looks like Batman's past has just returned to haunt him"

* * *

**6 Years Earlier **

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat - **

Bruce was ripped out of his slumber when a bucket of water was thrown over him, soaking him and the floor. He jolts up into a sitting position, his mind instantly becomes flooded with a powerful stinging sensation around his chest, the soft burning feeling of his skin and the pain of the water washing over his scars. Bruce looks down to his chest and finds the outline of a large bat scar on his chest. The moment he saw his wound was when it all came rushing back. The memories of what happened before he passed out.

"Alwatwat, come. Your next test awaits" Lady Shiva stands before Bruce along with several other League of Shadows members "Let that scar always remind you of what you really are. And who you must become in order to survive here"

"Go to hell..." Bruce spits.

"Only if you are to kill me yourself" Shiva claps her hands. Two of the Shadows members walk around her and over to Bruce, grabbing onto his arms and lifting him up "But there will be time for that... but for now. A new test awaits you." Shiva walks out of the chamber along with the League of Shadows members that drags Bruce after her "The anger that I saw in your eyes earlier was breath taking, Alwatwat. It revealed to me your true colours. Not only have you killed before, in that moment you wanted to kill me too. You need to learn to harness that resolve of yours, and I believe I know the perfect motivator for doing so..." she hums, leading the rest of the assassins.

* * *

**Across Gotham **

**\- Present Day -**

"Can this week get any worse?" Selina sighs to herself as she walks through the halls of the apartment complex "My mother's back in town, I'm Carmine Falcone's daughter, I think that I'm going crazy and my vigilante ex is such a narcissist that he has to announce his return to the whole city. Oh, Selina... what a normal life you have" the dark-haired woman groans. She reaches the door to her apartment, searching in her jacket pocket for her keys "I... just need one normal day without any-"

Her eyes spot that her door was already opened, slightly creaked opened. Her breaths stop and every muscle in her body stiffens as she realizes the possible danger that she was in. Either over confidence or very poor decision making, she couldn't think which one it was that drove her open the door and enter her apartment fully. Her eyes nervously look over the place, not seeing anything stolen. She tip-toes through the rooms, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, everything was still there, nothing was broken either.

"Hello? You better get out of here before I get mad! I'm not as delicate as I look!" Selina warns, calling out to the whole room. Her emerald eyes tremble as she hears the door to her apartment slammed shut. Selina turns around and comes face to face with someone unexpected. A figure dressed in royal white robes and a hood. He has two swords residing on his back. His face was concealed by a white mask with sharpened pure black eyes.

"Alwatwat's inamorata, greetings..." the masked man slowly reaches for one of the swords on his back and then repeats the action with his other hand until he had both hits in his grip "I don't believe that we have met before... allow me to introduce myself..."

"Who the hell are you?" Selina hisses.

"Think of me as a champion of the people. Prometheus if you will" the man in white replied, his voice distorted by his own modulator behind his mask. He brings out both of his swords.

"You're just goin' to attack a defenceless woman?" Selina's eyes glare as she holds her hands behind her back, slipping on the metal claws.

"I know all about you. You harbour the spirit of Bastet, a ferocious goddess with a heart of gold" the man in white muses as he readies his blades, spinning them in his grip "But not even she could protect you from me." The man in white swings his blade at Selina who jumps to the ground to avoid the swing. She jumps up and uses her claws to slash at the man, cutting his shoulders, arms and even neck. The man in white spins on his feet, swinging his blades at her again and again, and again with Selina barely evading his attacks.

"I can see what Alwatwat saw in you..." the man in white comments, stepping aside and avoiding a swipe of the woman's claws. Selina turns on her heels and kicks at the man, but he uses his blades to block every single attempt that she made, over and over like he wasn't even trying. Selina then begins throwing punches at the man but that too ended in the man in white blocking her advances "A fiery spirit, yet something is drowning your flame, something is chaining you down..."

"Go to hell you bastard!" Selina growls, swiping her claws across the man's neck, cutting across the material and into his skin like a hot knife through butter. Blood splatters across the next to them, but after a moment there was nothing. Almost as if the wound was completely gone, like it wasn't even there. Her mind was now racing, cluttering with dread. Now she comes to think of it, all the times she clawed at him, all the cuts she made, all the blood she drawled from him. He wasn't hurt nor did he have any wounds, even though she saw herself make them.

"Death gave up on finding me a very long time ago" the man in white then catches another punch from Selina and twists her wrist which brought the woman into a scream. The masked man manoeuvres her to the ground, twisting her right arm as he kneels over her. Selina's body aches, she realizes that her right arm was broken and that her breathing had staggered. The man in white grabs one of the swords off of his back and rams it into the woman's left shoulder; making her screech in agony, her mind overthrown by the pain that her body was in.

"Fear not, today is not when you will die..." The man in white pulls his sword out of the woman's shoulder as he stands back up, returning his blade to the sheath on his back "This is merely the moment when Alwatwat must learn that he cannot protect you, nor anyone else that he loves." He reaches into his garbs and pulls out a white rose which he drops onto the woman's back "For this world to survive, no one must stand in my way. He'll come for you and when he does... tell him not to get in my way"

A flash of light bleaches the room in pure white and when the light fades, the man in white was gone and Selina was left alone.

* * *

**The Narrows**

Batman grapples between the rooftops, gliding across and launching himself across with his grapple gun. All of his movements made swift work of traversing the city's roofs "_I've been looking into Checkmate using Wayne Enterprise's shipment centre as per requested and I think I found something._" Bruce hears Lucius voice through the communicator. Batman leaps across onto another roof, stopping in place and tapping his earpiece.

"What did you find, Lucius"

"_Something that I got a feeling that you won't like to hear. I was checking into the company's finances to see if there was anything irregular, and well beside us spending all that money on this crusade of yours. Wayne Enterprise has been haemorrhaging money for a few months which I found odd since you weren't active as Batman during that time._"

"So Waller has been stealing my company's money?"

"_That could be the case but there is something more alarming going on right now. Someone unknown party has been buying up shares in Wayne Enterprise. Right now, you own 51 percent of shares, after her little ploy last year, Talia owns 11 percent which did leave the other 38 percent shared among the other board members but in the last few months someone has been sweeping up those shares and buying them at an alarming rate... well actually looking at this data, it seems that there two competitors trying to outbid the other_"

"You mean there are two people trying to buy my company? Two people that you can't track?" Batman questions.

"_Uh... yeah? Listen, Bruce. Even if one of them gets the complete 38 percent and even Talia's holdings. That won't be enough to lose you Wayne Enterprise. Whatever is going on, it must go deeper than simply controlling your company_"

Batman paces back and forth on the rooftop, arms folded "You're right, Lucius. I need you to dig deeper. We know that at least one of buyers has to be either Waller or someone at Checkmate, that should be a good place to begin. Maybe that could get us the answers that we need"

"_Will do, Bruce but... how's it going on your end? Have you found the person responsible for that blood bath?_"

"I'm looking, Lucius - that's all that you need to know right now"

"_Fine, Bruce... Oh my..._"

"Lucius? Lucius, what's happened?" Batman's white eyes sharpen.

"_It's Selina, Bruce. She's been attacked and was found with a white rose..."_

"Is-is she...?" Batman's voice shakes as he fears the worst.

"_She's alive, but hurt. Apparently, she was being transported to a medical facility but she never showed up. Bruce, you need to find her. Lord knows what might have happened to her, please Bruce. She needs you_" Batman hears Lucius pleads "_Come back to me, we can locate her from the Bat-bunker_"

"On my way, Lucius" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and fires it, launching himself into the air as he begins to glide across the skyline of Gotham City.

* * *

**6 Years Earlier **

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat - **

Bruce sits across from Lady Shiva on the floor of the chamber. They were surrounded by lit red candles scented of oak and other outside aromas with one candle placed between them. The room they were in is mostly dark besides the light emanating off of the candles surrounding them and the lanterns scattered all through the walls. Shiva was dressed in her gear, though her hood was down which gave Bruce a good close look at her face and her features which the candles brighten.

Bruce was too dressed in his garb with his hood also resting down. He sees that the walls of the chamber had League of Shadows members standing before them like they were almost wooden statues, not even moving a muscle.

"Focus" Shiva orders, clearly out of patience for him.

"Focus? I don't even know what the hell you want me to do" Bruce refuses to play along with the woman's whims "We've been sitting here for almost an hour, my legs are numb and let's not forget that you branded me earlier which still hurts like hell"

"Do not take the tone with me again" Shiva glares at him as she inches her gloved hand over the flame of the red candle, holding it in place without showing the slightest feeling of pain "Believe my words, earlier was a test. One for both your body and mind"

"You... branded me... what sorta crazy test do you call that?" Bruce grows under his breath, pulling his shirt out to look the burned symbol on his chest. Shiva remained silent for a few moments, watching the man closely.

"If you are looking for an apology, I'm afraid your in the wrong place" Shiva keeps her hand over the flame, not even showing a hint of discomfort "Earlier was indeed a test, a test of how you react to pain. You've been here for a few weeks now and I've seen potential in you but you are easily brought down by pain, both physical and mental..."

"What are you trying to say? You branded me because you... care?" Bruce stammers, clearly annoyed.

"Pain is a powerful tool to use to your advantage, think of earlier. The pain you endured enough to make you pass out, or before that when I stabbed you through your shoulder. That blow should not have been enough to keep a true warrior down, but you? You didn't even try to get back up" Shiva moves her hand away from the flame, her palm was sizzled and blistered. She takes off her glove and shows Bruce her palm "Put your palm to the candle"

"This brings back memories..." Bruce comments as he remembers first doing this right after he lost his parents. He moved his hand over the flame and starts to feel his skin burning. He twitches his eyes and tries to hold back showing any sign of pain.

"Do not move your hand away until I say otherwise" the woman commands as she sees the discomfort present in the man's expressions "There are things that we must discuss, your task is to ignore the pain and only focus on my voice, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Bruce says as he grinds his teeth, trying to fight off the pain.

"You would be understanding if I were to say that your progress has been less than desirable, right? Alwatwat, you have a long journey to go until you become the man that Ra's al Ghul envisioned you as" Shiva checks Bruce, seeing the pain that he was trying to hide "That is why that I have seen to it that in the morning, you shall be taken to an isolated location. One that will force you to lose that moral code of yours, you'll be given a mission that I expect you to accomplish"

"And- if... I-don't?" Bruce was desperately trying to fight the urge to take his hand away from the candle flame "W-what will-what will happened-to me... then?"

"If you can't even complete a simple scavenger mission, then I will just be forced to kill you or your partner will do it for me" Shiva answers.

"P-partners, what?" Bruce's hand was shaking above the flame "W-what are you talking-about?"

"I have been attending to another student, one that has just returned from her last mission... I think it's about time you two were finally introduced." Shiva looks down to Bruce's hand "That's enough, remove your hand from the flame." Bruce was quick to pull his palm away as he grasps in his other hand. His palm was now blistered and bleeding, his eyes almost water and he does his best to hold back any screams. Shiva stands up and looks around the chamber.

"Not bad" Shiva complements Bruce's efforts, she brings her gloved hands together and claps "Welcome home," she looks over to the doors to the chamber that open. Bruce turns his head, his body following with the motion. His eyes land on a woman who looked to be of a similar age to him. She has long auburn hair that came down to her lower back. She is dressed in a black jumpsuit that zipped up near the top of her chest. Her outfit looked to made of a leather-like material. Her sleeves stopped at the top of her wrists, fingerless leather gloves and a sword of her down that attached to her back.

But it was her eyes that stood out the most. They were emerald green, almost the exact same shade as Selina's. It was uncanny on how he felt like he was almost staring into the eyes of the woman he left all those years ago. Though Bruce wasn't too naïve. This woman's eyes had a coldness in them, like the same darkness that he had inside of him. Bruce then sees her begin to walk towards him with each League of Shadows member bowing to her as she walks past them.

Shiva steps close to Bruce "Bit of advice, you might wanna be bowing right now". Bruce kneels down before the woman approaching him "You're back earlier than even I imagined. Tell me, how did your mission go?"

"They're all dead, they all dropped like flies" the woman smirks with uneasy malice in her tone, one of no regard for human life. Bruce felt an ice-cold shiver journey up his spine. The woman spots the man kneeling before her, an amused smile replaces her smirk "And whose the newbie"

"He came to use for training weeks ago since then he has taken the name Alwatwat" Shiva answers.

"Alwatwat? As in *the bat*? Oh yeah, most of the cooler names are already spoken for"

"Alwatwat, stand before her" Shiva requests. Bruce slowly stands up, not taking his eyes away from the other woman's emerald eyes "Behold the daughter of the great Ra's al Ghul: Talia al Ghul"

"She's Ra's daughter...?" Bruce stammers.

"Indeed and now she's your partner. Your life is now in her hands, now you still must rest for you are too embark on your mission tomorrow" Shiva tells Bruce which made him even more uneasy.

* * *

**Gotham Undergrounds**

**\- Present Day -**

Selina's eyes open, seeing that she was lying on a metal bed in what looked to be a black market medical centre. She jolts up, sitting up and finding herself in her bra and jeans. Her shoulder was bandaged up and looked to have been taken care of. She supports her shoulder with her right hand, wincing in pain "Where the hell am I?".

"Safe"

Selina snaps her head back and sees Sophia Falcone stood behind her. The older woman gives a pleasant smile to Selina "That remains to be seen..."

"Tell that to your bandaged wound. You should consider yourself fortunate that Hugo Strange was close by" Sophia chirps as she circles around the table "I stayed near you to make sure he didn't pull any funny business with you. I promise that there isn't a chip in your head, nor did he mutate you. He took care of your wound, that's it"

"Why? You went through a lot of trouble to make sure I got a few bandaids" She swings her legs around the edge of the table while still supporting her shoulder.

"You're family, Selina. You know how important that is to me" Sophia smiles.

"Yeah, right. You killed your own father..." she slides off the table and stands up.

"Technically the guy I hired killed my father, it wasn't pleasant for anyone" Sophia looks over Selina's shoulder and at the bandaged "You mind telling me who did this to you so that I can have him killed, no one messes with my sister and lives"

"I don't know. He didn't give a name, he was just some nutjob dressed in all white. Just another day in Gotham I suppose" Selina dismisses Sophia's concern "Where's my shirt?"

"Strange had to tear it to stop the bleeding as fast as possible"

"Great, looks like I'm about to make a teenage boy very happy on my way home" she sighs "What about my jacket?"

"Gone too, apologies" Sophia shrugs "But give me a minute, I can sort you out something"

"That jacket cost $300... I stole it but still... that's beside the point"

"I give you my word that I will hunt down the man who hurt you... and I will have him ripped apart" Sophia vows.

* * *

** Unknown**

The man in white walks through an advanced hallway with neo-blue, red, greed and yellow lights mapping all across the walls like circuits. He pulls down his hood and takes off his mask which revealed the face of a man with short dark brown hair that was combed back with brown eyes and a scar over his left eye. Vandal Savage reaches into his garbs and pulls out a futuristic metal box with blue-glowing circuits that fit in his open palm. His eyes reflect the object's glow.

"Mother Box, show me the final days of this world" Vandal orders.

The Mother box's circuits flash brighter as it projects a hologram upward. Savage's eyes narrow, the hologram was of a news broadcast that held the image of a blood-red sky with black clouds and a large planet in the distance, one covered by flames and ash. His eyes glance down at the byline underneath the image.

**JUSTICE LEAGUE PERISHES**

Vandal's eyes reflect the image of the broadcast "Apokolips is upon us"

* * *

**\- To Be Continued... -**


	30. Beneath

**Beneath**

* * *

**Gotham City**

**\- Gotham Docks -**

"It broke out!" a Checkmate commander yells as he and another soldier run for their lives along the docks of the city. Gotham is masked in the cover of night, the musky cold air makes their breaths visible to the naked eye.

"Keep running!" the lower-rank member calls to the man running beside him as an inhuman growl follows after them like it was their own shadow. From behind, two yellow eyes open that glow within the darkness. The pupils narrow into slits.

"Call it in! We need backup ASAP!" the commander orders the other man next to him. A green scaly tail quickly ensnares the commander's foot and drags him within the cover of the dark, as he claws at the ground and screams.

The remaining Checkmate soldier keeps at his pace, trying to outrun whatever is following after him. The ambient rough growl persists, becoming louder and louder. His attempts at escape are made futile as an outstretched scaly hand with three rigid claws comes at him from his side and whacks him across and sends him into one of the shipment containers.

The man hits his back against the hard metal container, which blinded his mind with pain. He fights against the agony of each movement and sits himself up. He holds his sides and snivels as his gloved touches a bloodied wound. He hears pronounced footsteps coming closer, stomping towards him "Please… don't kill... me..." the Checkmate Soldier begs, his voice straining from his broken ribs.

"... The last guys... said the same thing... look where they're now..." a beast-like figure growls. A ten-foot creature covered reptile-like scales snarls as he reaches his outstretched hand to the Checkmate Soldier. Killer Croc lunges forward as he stretches out his jaw and showing his rigid sharp teeth. One last blood-curdling scream echoes throughout the docks for a single moment as an unnerving silence soon takes over the area.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**The Next Morning**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"How can a hospital lose a person?" Bruce asks in an annoyed tone. He stands with his arms folded as Lucius looks through the files appearing on the screen in front of them "I know that things have been crazier lately but I don't understand how they can lose a person..."

"Well from what I can see from their recent admissions, Selina isn't even on the list" Lucius reads the file "Gotham General was compromised a few nights ago which left the treatment to select few Checkpoint outposts, and I doubt Selina would want to be taken there considering her recent involvement with them"

"She has to be somewhere, Lucius" Bruce looks over the files too "She was only attacked because he wanted to get to me. I can't risk giving him time to come back and finish the job. She has to be alright, she has to be..."

"I'm worried about her too, Bruce. I'm trying as hard as I can but I can't locate her" Lucius explains. "

"I won't be able to live with myself if anything happened to her because of me." Bruce's voice takes on a tone of regret, one that reveals his emotions for the woman in question.

"That's cute of you" Selina calls down to Bruce as she makes her way towards him and Lucius "You almost sound like you care about me". She is dressed in a black crop top and jeans with ankle-high boots. One overt detail led Bruce and Lucius to look at her left should which was bandaged up.

"Selina?" Bruce turns to face her "Where have you been? We've been looking for since last night. We tried searching the hospitals but none of them had any record you being there. You had us all worried." Bruce reaches out to the woman. Selina pulls her arm away from his reach, her eyes narrow.

"Who was that man, Bruce?" Selina sternly asks, not wanting any half-truths or lies. She sees a shift in Bruce's expression, one that showed fear, vulnerability and repentance. Truth be told, she never saw such a mix of emotions from him before. Selina notices that the man was trying so hard to fight his urges and tell her something, something that he didn't want her to know. Like he didn't even want to admit it to her or anyone, not even himself.

"S-Selina, I can't tell you. You have to trust me on this" Bruce says in a near whisper "Please, you need to leave it alone"

"Leave it alone?" Selina subtly shakes her head and bites her lip "Like hell, Bruce. That son of a bitch attacked me in my own apartment. He stabbed me in the shoulder. I'm going to find him and get some payback" Selina empathises her grievance "Prometheus is bound to show his face again, and I want to be there when he does"

"Tough. You won't get the chance. I'm dealing with him" Bruce firms his voice "I'm telling you to leave it alone and that means you leave it alone, got it?"

"No. You aren't the boss of me, Bruce. I'm done listening to your bullshit" The raven-haired woman spits with a small hiss. She looks up to glare into the man's eyes "You've barely been back for more than a day... and you're already back to being an asshole. I don't know what I was expecting..."

"Well excuse me if I don't want to see you getting yourself killed, Selina. You mean a lot to me and I don't want to see you do something this reckless" Bruce argues, trying to reason with the woman whose eyes he looks into "You can't beat Prometheus. You won't even be able to hold your own against him"

"So what? You just want me to hide away and cower in the corner like a helpless damsel? That's not who I am and you know that" Selina looks away from Bruce with her body eventually following "I'm going after him. That's the end of it" Selina walks away and heads towards the exit.

"And in the process, you are going to drag Talia and Harley into it with your little vigilante club? Not only are you letting your anger blind you into getting yourself killed but you are going to drag them to their deaths too. Is that what you want?" Bruce calls out to Selina. The woman stops in her tracks.

"Of course you knew that. Of course, you do. After all, the only person in Gotham allowed to have secrets is you, right?" she throws her arms in the air "No one else is allowed to fight for this city, no one dare try to make a difference in the same city as Batman. I can handle myself, Bruce. I'm not made of glass!"

"This isn't about you, this isn't about me, this is about doing what is needed to stop Prometheus and that does not involve you" Bruce reaffirms.

"Its always been about you, Bruce. Your crusade, your weight to carry, your code..." Selina turns back to look the man in the eyes "Bane may have broken your back but you were spineless long before that. Thanks for nothing" she turns and walks towards the exit while flipping her middle finger up at Bruce. Bruce was left in silence after for some time. Lucius was there for it all, all the words exchanged, all the harsh tones and anger. His attention was taken away from that and to the screen as a new tab opened.

"Oh thank god" Lucius internally thanks for the distraction from the scene that unfolded right before him "We got something, Bruce. Multiple homicides at Gotham docks, police are on the scene"

"It's day time, Lucius. I'll check it out later tonight" Bruce walks back to Lucius.

"I think we might want to look into this one pronto. The victims were listed as being Checkmate officers... you can bet that Waller is going to be on this."

Bruce reads the report "Forensics are saying that the victims were partly eaten. I doubt a regular guy could cause this much damage... well... I was hoping to get some more sun" Bruce heads towards the glass case which held the Batsuit.

"Actually it's not really sunny, just gloomy, really gloomy" Lucius replies.

"It wouldn't be Gotham if it wasn't"

* * *

**The Narrows**

Selina knocks at the apartment door, waiting for someone on the other side to open it. Eventually, the door was opened by a blonde woman who wears a pair of glasses and a red jumper and black skirt. Harleen smiles as she sees the woman "Selina? What a great surprise, I wasn't expectin' for ya to ever come over." The blonde moves aside and lets Selina enter after her "What brings ya over?"

"We need to talk," Selina tells Harleen.

"Oh... sounds serious" she pouts "I was just about to head to work"

"Work?" Selina muses as she and Harleen walk into the living room. Her emerald-eyes spot Harvey Dent standing in the corner of the room as he packs a bunch of stacked boxes. he looks over and smiles at her. Harleen folds her arms and looks over to the news broadcast being shown on the television "Yeah, I-uh... got a job at Wayne Enterprise. You are lookin' at Bruce's newest PA"

"So... you know that he's back? Of course, you do" Selina's eyes keep to the screen to the sight of the overview of the docks "Do you have somewhere more private that we can talk? Its kinda sensitive information". Harleen nodes and leads her to the kitchen. On her way, she glances back to Harvey "Good to see you, Harv. How's it going with you?"

"Just getting things on track, like everyone else in this city. How have you been doing?"

"It's been... complicated" she smiles at him.

The two women enter the kitchen with Harleen closing the door behind them "Are you okay? You seem like you just got off a rollercoaster of emotions." Selina leans against one of the counters and slides her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"Bruce knows your secret"

"M-My secret...? He knows... it?" Harleen asks as her hand slowly reaches behind her to take hold of a knife from the wooden block "How did he manage to find that out then?"

"I don't know. He just told me that he knows you, Talia and I have been taking out some Checkpoint outposts" Selina reveals which came as a relief with the blonde. Harleen smiles as she steadily returns the knife "Oh... that? Well... I guess that he was bound to figure out sooner or later. You know how he is..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Selina asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh-uh... nothin'. He's quite the character... that's all" Harleen keep her smirk "Actually, Harvey and I are in the middle of packin'. Bruce offered us to stay in one of his penthouses and I would have needed to be even more of a ditz to turn down that offer"

"Bruce really does like you, doesn't he? He gave you a penthouse and all..." Selina comments.

"Oh I wish... but being a psychologist tends to give you an insight into a person's true intention. He's just tryin' to look out for Harvey. Bruce is a true friend, it makes you wonder just how loyal he really is"

"I think I have a good idea of that..." Selina responds.

* * *

**Elsewhere **

**Gotham Docks**

Gordon and Waller look over the docks and the shipping containers all across the yard "Evidence points to another perp from the one suspected of the massacre last night. Whoever did this needed to at least be over seven-foot and even that is lowballing it" Amanda informs the commissioner as her eyes spot something strange in the distance. A quick-like shadow that blurs from cover to cover. Her lips curve into a small smirk "So tell me, James. Have you heard anything from your old pal, Wayne?"

"Not really. He's still at the ski resort last time that I checked" Gordon replies slightly confused by the woman's sudden question "Looks like he made the right call of getting out of the city before everything went to hell..."

"I'm not too sure, James. I got a feeling that he's closer to home than you think" Amanda Waller suggests.

Batman stealthily moves alongside the containers, quickly moving from one to the other. He eventually reaches near the crime scene that was still swarming with both the G.C.P.D and checkmate units. He kneels down and looks to the ground where he spots something that caught his attention. He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a pair of tweezers where he picks up what appeared to be a pile of green scales "**Are you getting this, Lucius?"**

_"Yep..."_

"**These are defiantly reptilian in nature but they are much larger than any reptile I've ever seen**" Batman's eyes focus on the scales "**I will need to get it back to the lab to properly examine** **it**" Batman sees two Checkmate soldiers approaching the container which he was at. He places the scales into his utility belt and jolts away before he could be seen by anyone. He manoeuvres around the shipments and crates, being as quiet as possible.

He stops as he hears heavy breathing from around him followed by a rough growl "I know that scent..." an inhuman voice shouts. Batman looks around as a beast jumps out from the water. A ten-foot reptilian creature crawls along the ground. His hands and feet were outstretched with three long rigid claws on each. His pupils narrow into slits as he locks onto Batman. His four-foot tail slams against the ground. His arms, tail and back were covered by protruding spikes-like bones.

Killer Croc arches up, easily shadowing over the dark knight as almost double his size "I'm not... going... back!" the beast growls as he looks down with a smirk that showed all of his teeth along his snout "I... will... kill you!" Killer Croc lunges forward and tries to bite at Batman. The dark knight quickly shoves a pellet into the creature's mouth which explodes and erupts into a trail of smoke that makes him gasps and move back.

"You... bas...bastard!" the creature rams its arm into the dark knight and sends him flying across the docks. Killer Croc prepares to follow but was stopped as a sudden bombardment of bullets were shot at him. Croc turns and sees a group of both G.C.P.D officers and Checkmate guards firing at you " I... want... WALLER! GIVE ME... WALLER!" he snarls darkly. Killer Croc begins to walk towards the group causing the storm of bullets.

The officers and Checkmate guards slowly backway while still shooting the creature. The bullets appeared to have no effect, simply bouncing off his leathery skin. Killer Croc charges forward and grabs one of the cops and bites of their head, throwing their body into the river. He then uses his claws to slice through the rest and his trail to slam them against the container. His rigid claws were narrow stained with their blood along with his snout "Give... me... Waller...!" he roars, looking to Amanda Waller and the commissioner who was firing at him.

"**Jim, go! I got** **this!**" Batman leaps down from the shipping container, punching the creature's snout on his trip down. Batman rolls on the ground and jumps to his feet. He reaches into his utility belt with both of his hands and takes three Batarangs in each hand. He jumps up and throws all six at Killer Croc, each Batarang explodes on impact, knocking him back with each subsequent strike. Killer Crock was knocked off balance. Jim listens to the dark knight's words as he drags Waller away from the creature.

Batman leaps up and left-hooks the creature and then hits him with his right fist. Then kicks in the air which spins him and around and forces Croc back further. Batman heaves, his body now aching from all the sudden movements. Bruce was well aware that his body wasn't recovered enough to keep at his sudden movements and strikes. Killer Croc regains his footing and wipes the blood dripping from his snout. His face stretches into a grin "...My...Turn..."

The reptilian creature swings again with his left arm which Batman ducks under. The Dark Knight hits the beast's snout again and slams his right elbow down on it after. Croc grabs Batman's arm and lifts him up high above his own head and rams Batman into the container; hitting his back right against it and erupting once lost sense of agony for him. The monster than slams the dark knight down onto the ground "...Es-pected… more..."

He grabs Batman's cape and brings him back over his head "I'm... going... to... enjoy this..."

"**You wanna get nuts...? fine, let's get nuts...**" Batman growls as he rams a Batarang through the beast's right eye. Killer Croc throws Batman across the ground and brings his claws and covers his face. The reptile-like man backs away and growls. His trail recoils and has enough power to completely flip over one of the containers.

"Eyes not important... I can... smell you, hear you... taste you" Killer Croc snarls as he removes his hands from his face, showing his wounded eye. He reaches down with his claws to Batman "...You...die...now..." Batman couldn't move, his body disobeyed his please of movement, his back hurt like hell, just like before. He sees Croc's hand coming closer and ready to grab his head. Out of nowhere, an arrow was shot between them and flash bangs the area.

"... Not finished... kill you... Waller too!" Killer Croc growls as he jumps into the river and swims down, leaving Batman lying alone on the ground. From across the docks, a man dressed in a leather green tactical suit with his hood concealing his face. He holds an advanced bow and a quiver on his back that holds dozens of other arrows. Green Arrow looks over Batman as he sees a new team of Checkmate soldiers heading towards the downed vigilante "You are going to owe me big time"

He leaps across the containers and lines up another arrow and fires it at the ground next to the Checkmate Guards, then firing another and another. The tips of the arrows shoot out nets that cover the soldiers and electrifies them. Green Arrow jumps down and lifts Batman up over his shoulder.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

Selina Kyle looks over to the back of the woman in front of her. Talia Al Ghul stands in front of a large glass window that outlooks the gloomy city of Gotham. She's dressed in a sleeveless whine-red dress "Harleen's in. I'm just waiting to see if you are game. We can take him on if we work together" Selina directs towards the other woman. Talia rolls her eyes, not seeming to care about Selina's request. She brushes her hair behind her ear.

"So this guy just breaks into your apartment and attacks you only to leave you alive? Why wouldn't he just kill you?" the demon's daughter questions the woman's account. Keeping her eyes straight she sees Selina's reflection in the glass "I'm going to need more to work with"

"From what he said it sounded he had a history with Bruce " Selina steps forward "If we can take him down then Bruce will have no choice but to stop getting in our way. We can do this"

"Bruce has history with a lot of crazed men. You are going to need to narrow it down" Talia's keep her eyes on the city.

"This one is different. I don't know why but I know that whoever the guy was... he is something new. Something that made Bruce scared at the mere mention of his name. Honestly, Bruce never mentioned this Prometheus before... it makes me wonder just what else he's hiding" Selina casually tells the other woman. Talia's eyes widen at the spoken name, she turns her head to back at Selina.

"Did you say Prometheus? No... he can't be in Gotham..." Talia's voice shakes, a clear contrast from her usual demeanour "Bruce has every right to be scared. Prometheus is the most feared man in the world..."

"Wait? You know about him, how?" Selina asks.

"Unfortunately, I do. Bruce and I encountered him a long time ago... but that's long in the past. I rather not relive that day..." Talia turns around to face the other woman "The League of Shadows were the most powerful and dangerous group in all the lands... but Prometheus was the most dangerous man to ever walk the earth... my father was scared of him too, he never crossed his path, never"

"Do you know who he is?"

"No." Talia sighs "There have been rumours that have persisted throughout the ages. Some think that Prometheus is a mantle passed down from father to son through generations, some think he's an immortal and others believe that he doesn't exist and is just a legend. No one knows who is behind the mask"

"Immortal?" Selina mused "Last night, I managed to cut him with my claws but his wounds just vanished... like they weren't even there. I even sliced his throat yet he acted like he was fine"

"Listen to me carefully, Selina. I know you and I have little to agree on, but I am warning you to stay away from this. You do not have the skill to take Prometheus on. He will kill you..." Talia folds her arms and sees the annoyance on the woman's face "Bruce and I will figure something out"

"But we can stop him. Me, you and Harley can do it. Sure he healed every cut I gave him but he was bleeding. If he can bleed then that means that we can take him out... or weaken him to a point of him not being a threat anymore... we can do this" Selina tries to persuade Talia into joining her. The daughter of Ra's Al Ghul shows a clear disdain for the idea.

"This is foolish, no... it's asinine and suicidal. You are going to get yourself killed... don't you see that?" Talia argues, venting her frustration.

"If Bruce faces off against Prometheus in his current state, he'll get himself killed and even if he beats him. You know that he won't kill Prometheus. He needs to be destroyed, disposed of. You, Harley and I are willing to go that far to make sure Prometheus won't be able to hurt anyone ever again"

"Even if I were to agree to such a foolish plan, just how do you plan to draw him out?" Talia lifts one of her eyebrows as she questions Selina.

"That's easy" Selina shrugs "What's the worst thing that can happen to a man hidden within the shadows? You make the whole world aware of him... that should convince him to come for us..."

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"Where is he?" Leslie Thompkins hurries along as she is escorted by Lucius who leads to a table which had Bruce lying on top. The upper torso of the Batsuit was off which left his top half bare. She drops her bag to the floor and takes out her ophthalmoscope. She pries open Bruce's eyes and tries to get him to look at her "Dilated pupils... signs of slight concussion... Bruce? Can you hear me, Bruce? Can you follow the light?" she moves the tool to the side to which Bruce's eyes weakly follow.

"That's some good news... he's still aware of his surroundings... or really bad depending on how much pain that he's in" Lee rests the ophthalmoscope over the side. She looks across to Lucius who stands on the other end of the table "I need your to help me turn him over. I need to check on the plate in his lumbar. The collision could have dislodged it"

Lucius nods as he and Lee carefully turn Bruce over to lie on his front "Is he going to be alright?"

"It's far too early to tell. Just what the hell were you thinking to let him go back out there?" Lee's hands caress Bruce's lower back "Faint signs of bruising. Could mean that he's suffering from internal bleeding. That's not good..."

"Lee?" Lucius asks concerned for Bruce's health.

"I need painkillers. Morphine is ideal... I'm going to have to operate here." Lee reaches into her bag and pulls out a pair of plastic gloves which she puts on "We need to hurry"

"What's happening? Lee! What's going?"

"No wonder he's having trouble fully recovering. His body is rejecting the metal implant. The internal bleeding isn't helping either. It is going to rust the implant and that could kill him..." Lee answers the man. She kneels down and looks through her bag.

"His body is rejecting the implant? How could you not realize that sooner?" Lucius looks over the bruised area of Bruce's lower back.

"I had no time to test him for being allergic. He was literally dying when I had to put it in him" Lee places a closed case on the table "And Bruce sure as hell wouldn't let me get a good look at it when I did my check-ups"

"If you take that thing out of him, that will make it even more difficult for him to recover, won't it?" Lucius observes Lee return his concern with an unsure look in her eyes.

"Right now my main concern in keeping him alive"

* * *

**Elsewhere **

**\- Across Gotham -**

Selina zips up her jumpsuit, tightening her gloves and pulls up her boots. She clips on her angled belt and then pulls her cowl over, sliding down her red-shade goggles. She attaches her whip to the side of her belt and runs black lipstick over her lips. She then puts on her sash bag over her back. She stretches out her hands and rakes her claws "Ready"

Talia zips up her garbs and raises her hood over to conceal her face. She clips two belts around her waist and the holster on her back. The back of her garbs tails down to her shins. Pulling on fingerless leather gloves and placing her dual blade into her holster "Ready... I still can't believe that you talked me into this." her green eyes peek out from the depths of her hood.

Harleen separates her hairs into pigtails, tying them over with bands. She sprays each pigtail with coloured hairspray to make her left red and her right black. She puts on her red and black parted diamond jacket and pulls up the zipper. She paints her nails red and black. She applies white face paint to pale her face, then adding red and black lipstick to her mouth with red and black eye shadow to match her pigtails. She tightens her diamond-shaped belt. She puts on boots, one red and the other black "You needed to be talked into this? Some friend that ya are"

Catwoman, Talia and Harley look over the city from the rooftop. The pigtailed blonde fidgets, almost jumping on the spot. She holds her metallic bat over her shoulder and has a shotgun on her back with dual pistols on her belt "The gals are back!" she chirps to the dismay of both Talia and Catwoman who both groan.

"This isn't a game, Harley. One wrong move and he could kill you, let me lead" Talia kneels down on the ledge and looks to the streets "If by some miracle that Prometheus doesn't kill us... I got a feeling that Bruce will. Your plan better work." Talia glances to Catwoman "I'm putting a lot of faith in you"

"Have I ever let you down?" Catwoman smirks, resting her hands on her hips.

"Yes. The time where you stabbed me is a stand out example" Talia honestly replies, resting her left arm over her curved knee "You have yet to inform on what your plan is to get him to show up. Why would he even come here?"

"Yeah. I was 'bout to ask the same thing" Harley chimes in as she blows up a ball of bubble-gum.

"Let's just say I've recently come into contact with someone who has the resources to put Prometheus' name in all the major paper and news broadcast in Gotham and the rest of the country with where we are. And that should be happening in 3...2..." Selina counts down.

* * *

**Unknown**

Vandal Savage's eyes look up to the hologram emanating from the Mother Box in front of him. He was shown the image of a meteor moving through space and on course for Earth. His brown-hair is gelled back and he wears a long-sleeved V-neck shirt. He wears prideful smirk as his eyes reflect the video playing out before his eyes. He stands with his arms folded and without any slouch. His eyes strain as he hears the Mother Box bleep, alerting him to something.

"Mother Box, show me the divergence"

The hologram scatters only to reform into a new image. One of a newspaper. Vandal looks over the article and more importantly the headline "He really knows how to pick 'em." he grabs onto the Mother Box in his hand "It would be ill-mannered of me not to show up" the Mother Box's circuits glow brighter as its holder was consumed by a white light that fills the room.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

Bruce's eyes jolt open, sitting up and holding his sides. He hisses as pain shocks his system like he was stabbed. He turns to see Leslie Thompkins sitting in a chair beside the metal table which he was sitting on. He sees the woman look at him "You almost died again, I saved your life again. You are probably going to do it again..." Lee directs her frustration at him like she was expecting him to almost get himself killed again. Lee stands up and arches over to Bruce "You're welcome by the way"

"If you are going to keep being like that then I would have rather you just let me die" Bruce jokes with a small laugh. He clenches his sides and leans forward "... Ah... it hurts when I laugh..." Bruce goes to stand up but Lee gets in his way. She pushes him back onto the table.

"You're staying put, Bruce. I just got done putting you back together again, any sudden movements could reopen the wounds and set us back straight to square one" Lee tells the man, knowing that he most likely wouldn't listen to her advice.

"Can't do that. That thing is still out there and he's going to kill more people if I don't stop him..." Bruce glares at Lee "I need to stop him. I can't let that thing stay loose around Gotham."

"Really?" Lee questions "Just how do you plan to do that? You couldn't do it before and you damn sure can't do it now..." she glares back, one that shakes Bruce "You could have died... again. This isn't some game, Bruce. One of these days you are going to run out of luck and I won't be there to save you... Lucius showed me the Batsuit's capture... you could barely keep it back"

"I'll think of something to take him down... I just need time" Bruce stands up, grabbing at the table for support as he feels his body tremble in agony "My back... wha-what happened?"

"I had to take the plate out. Your body was rejecting it and it was becoming poisonous to you" Lee explains as she helps eases Bruce back onto the table "To be frank, it's a miracle that you can even use your legs in your state. Yet again, you are probably going to waste it and push your luck"

"I need it back in, you are going to put the plate back in me. I need to be able to fight..." Bruce shudders in agony, holding his sides as he looks into Lee's eyes "I have to get back out there"

Lee rolls her eyes and snarls "No. Absolutely not. That thing was going to kill you if I hadn't taken it out. I cannot in good conscious put that back in you when it is going to end up ending your life."

"A lot more people are going to die if you don't. I'm the best bet of stopping that thing and you know it"

"That's not what I saw earlier. That thing stomped all over you. Sorry, Bruce but I can't let you go after him again... if you still think that it's a good idea then maybe you need a doctor for more than your physical injuries" Lee turns her back to Bruce and begins to pack her bag "You're my friend, Bruce. Your my husband's friend. You mean too much to me to risk sending you to your death. You might be conformable with that... but I'm not"

Lucius walks into the room, looking over to the two "That won't be necessary. I think that I've got the perfect alternative to this dilemma we find ourselves in" he walks towards Bruce and Lee "I was going over the schematics to the Batsuit and realized a few adjustments that we could make to it"

"I'm all ears" Bruce turns to face Lucius Fox.

Lucius moves over to one of the computers and types "You won't be needing the plate. We are going to add an exoskeleton to the Batsuit. With it, you should have little trouble moving as much as you need. Of course, we are going to need to make a trade. To keep the light-weightiness of the material, you are going to have to deal with a less sturdy getup, we can keep it bulletproof but the Batsuit will be perceptible to knives and heavy-duty weapons"

"You're what?" Lee detests as she storms to Lucius "Bruce needs to get some rest, plus how are you even going to keep the exoskeleton powered?"

Lucius looks to the screen as blueprints for the Batsuit pops up "There's a defibrillator in the suit. I can retrofit it to also power the exoskeleton. I can even have the exosuit partially increase his strength."

"That's great, Lucius. Can you get right on it?" Bruce asks. Lucius smiles, turning to look at Bruce.

"C'mon, Mr Wayne. You should know me better than that by now. Batsuit 3.0 is primed and prepped"

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

Catwoman, Talia and Harley are on the ledge of the rooftop, waiting for their target to show. Harley lies on her back, resting her head under her arms and kicking her legs. She blows a bubble of gum, popping it and starts to blow it again. Talia keeps her position, kneeling on the ledge in silence. Catwoman stands with her hands on her hips and goggles folded up. She looks around her, searching for anything out of the ordinary. The city was quiet, disturbingly so. There wasn't even the faint sound of a siren.

"We've been up here for over an hour, my lips are numb from the cold" Harley complains "Ya sure ya got the guy's name right?" her eyes look up to the soft snowfall hitting the city and its rooftops.

"He could've figured out this was a trap for him" Catwoman admits, sensing the flaws in her plan "Maybe I should've thought this through more. Prometheus probably knew that we would try and draw him out" she adds, looking over to the woman lying on the roof "He's not coming"

"He will come here" Talia coldly replies as she keeps her eyes trained on the streets below "He did not appear out of fear... but strategy. He knows this is a trap but that won't get in his way"

"It's a good thing that we have Harley for moral support" Catwoman dismisses Talia's claims "If what you say is true then shouldn't you be keeping an eye out rather than looking at the ground?" Catwoman turns around and spots the target. From the building across stood Prometheus, the man in white "Contact!"

Harley jumps to her feet and grabs her bat "'bout time"

Talia rises and faces Prometheus. She reaches behind her back and grabs her dual swords from the holster "I stare death in the eyes not as one that stands before it but as someone it stands before..." she chants. Her green eyes look to the man in white from under her hood.

Catwoman grabs her whip and glares over to Prometheus on the next building "You said that death gave up looking for you a long time ago, well... let's see if can find you today. Remember the plan, make. him. bleed" she hisses.

Prometheus watches the three women in silence as he grabs one of the swords on his back. He is concealed in a flash of bright light which once faded revealed him now standing on the same building as them. Prometheus's hand clenches the hilt of his blade as he stands in stands in complete silence.

"Yeah, buddy? Whatcha say we do this dance?" Harley smirks.

"The plan, Harley. Follow the plan" Catwoman approaches Prometheus along with Talia.

"Yeah, I get it. Follow the stinkin' plan" the pigtail blonde mimics.

"Get him!" Catwoman calls out as she rakes her claws. Talia lunges forward and swings both of her blades at the man in white. Prometheus deflects one the swords with his own, catching the other blade between the fingers of his other hand. He snaps the tip of the sword and rams into Talia's arm. The daughter of Ra's al Ghul moves back and kneels, holding her hand over her arm. Prometheus then jumps back and evades a swipe of Catwoman's whip.

Catwoman strikes again with the whip, this time the man in white lifts his right arm and wraps the weapon around it. He yanks his arm back and drags the woman with it, throwing her over his head and onto the roof. Selina jumps back up and kicks the man in the back. Prometheus moves out of the way and grabs her foot, throwing her back onto the ground. He then kicks Catwoman in her chest, knocking her onto her front. Prometheus turns and sees Harley readying a swing of her bat.

He's covered by a bright white flash and warps behind the blonde, making her miss her shot. Harley's eyes widen, seeing the man vanish right before her eyes "What the?". Prometheus's eyes narrow as he grabs the woman's hair and throws her over to the ground, making her wince in pain. Talia rips out the shard out of the arm and stands back up, she picks both of her swords back up and swings at the man. Prometheus moves out the way, like a white blur he moves behind her.

Talia turns on her heels and swings her blade at him again. The man in white moves again, blurring around her, again and again as he dodges all of her attacks faster than the eye could see. He grabs Talia by the throat and warps up onto the Water Tower of the roof. He holds the demon's daughter outward and dangles her the streets of Gotham. Prometheus' eyes narrow as he increases his grip around the woman's neck. Harley still lies on the ground, she reaches for her bat and throws it at Prometheus.

The man in white catches the metal bat with ease and throws it over the ledge. Prometheus turns his head to look at the blonde, he throws Talia back onto the roof and warps in front of Harley, mere inches away from her. He arches over and towers over her and grabs her chin, making her look at him "Not good enough" he says chillingly. Harley's lips curve into a grin as she blows up the gum into her mouth and pops it, spreading over Prometheus's mask.

The blonde then knees the masked man in the groin and knocks him back "Heal that" she chirps. From behind, Catwoman spins several bolas and flings them at the man at white. The bolas ensnare Prometheus' legs and bind him. Talia throws her blade and has it penetrate through the man's back and through his chest. Catwoman reaches into her bag, looking at the two other women "Now!" Catwoman pulls out a bow from her bag, Talia brings one out from under her garb and Harley takes one from her belt.

The trio fire all at once, launching spikes into Prometheus, through his chest and both his feet. Catwoman then reaches into her bag and throws a metallic ball down by the man in white. The ball explodes into a mess of caltrops that cut at Prometheus' feet "Harley! You're up!" Catwoman orders. Harley front flips behind Prometheus and wraps a trail of barbwire around his neck, tightening it causing a whine of red to ooze around his skin.

"I'm next, get back you two!" Talia warns Catwoman and Harley as she throws her own ploy. A small metallic box that explodes that unleashes a bunch of nails that cut through the man's arms, legs, chest and even head. Prometheus grunts in pain as his white garb is drowned by his blood that trails down. Harley, Talia and Catwoman now stand together as they look at the downed man who was covered in blood and wounds, more than any human could handle.

"H-holy shit... we actually did it, we actually did it?" Harley chirps, clearly surprised by their victory.

"Looks like your plan of inflicting blood loss was better than I gave it credit for" Talia compliments Catwoman.

"It worked better than even I thought... and I'm the one who came up with the plan" Catwoman looks through her red-tinted goggles.

* * *

**G.C.P.D**

**\- Captain's Office -**

Waller slides another magazine into her pistol as she looks down on her desk at the captured image of Killer Croc. Jim looks over Amanda's shoulder and to the same image that she was looking at "You mind telling me what Croc's issue is with you? Both of you didn't really come across as close friends"

"That's way above your paygrade, James" Waller puts the gun into the holster around her thigh "I would imagine that thing has a problem with any person with a badge. He's a criminal. Murderer, cannibal and savage. Take your pick." Amanda heads to the doors leading out of the office and into the rest of the precinct. Gordon follows her out of the room and to the top of the stairs that overlook both the GCPD officers and Checkmate soldiers.

"Listen up. Target is to be considered highly dangerous. But he is a valued individual. You are to use non-lethal rounds only. Normal rounds bounced off of the assailant's skin and had no viable effect in either slowing him down and weakening him. So you will be using modified tranq rounds" Waller informs the men and woman below her "Do not let him escape."

**10 Minutes Later**

Amanda Waller and James Gordon walk down the steps of the precinct and head towards the line of parked armoured military transport. The whole area outside the front of the building swarmed with security comprised of both GCPD and Checkmate with the latter having a more dominant presence. The soft cold gales breeze past the street, covering everything it touches in an icy touch. Leftover ice and grit cover the roads. Jim meets up with Vanessa Harper on the sidewalk and Waller greets a group of Checkmate guards.

"Have you seen Harvey?" Gordon asks Harper who returns his question with an uncertain look.

"He's not with you? Bullock sure is picking great times to vanish" Vanessa comments as she looks over to Waller "This whole thing is sketchy. Waller never gets directly involved with this kind of thing"

"I know" Gordon inches closer to Harper "I overheard Croc when he was fighting Batman. He seems to have been there for Waller and he sure was pissed at her for some reason and I'm positive that she knows why," Gordon glances back to Amanda who was overviewing a map of Gotham on the trunk of one of the cars.

"Is it just me or are you having a hard time deciding who is a bigger threat right now out of Waller and that creature?" Harper asks the commissioner next to her "Its easy with Croc... he's monstrous on the outside, but Waller? She's definitely hiding something"

"I got a feeling that she's hiding a lot of things and none of them are good" James slides his hands into the pockets of his overcoat "First Deadshot comes back in town under Waller's orders and now Croc is back after being unaccounted for months. Who knows what else Waller is behind"

"With all due respect, maybe you should consider getting your old friend in on this. If there's anyone who can stop Waller... it's him" Vanessa suggests which brought Gordon to dismay. The commissioner looks away and up into the sky.

"Absolutely not. He couldn't even prevent Gotham being brought to its knees again. And even if I agreed with you, Waller has my family's freedom at her mercy. One wrong move and I could never see my daughter again..." Gordon vents, "The further my family is from Batman, the better."

Jim and Harper see Waller get into one of the military vehicles along with several other Checkmate soldiers. The transport drives off with four other vehicles following behind.

**\- Several Minutes Later -**

The column of armoured vehicles drives on the icy roads of the city, not being deterred by the conditions. From within the one in front, Waller and four Checkmate soldiers look at a map of Gotham. A commander traces his fingertips along a narrow path at the edge of the city on the map "Target was last spotted up east near Chinatown, 6.5 minutes ago. A strike team is on route and support team in deploy, commander Waller"

"Excellent. Do not let Jones escape again" Waller orders.

From outside the line of vehicles, a snarl can be heard and soon loud footsteps that got closer and closer by the second. The front transport is knocked over as Killer Croc rams into it which threw it into the front of a store on the other side of the road. Killer Croc growls as sees the rest of the vehicles stop in their tracks and a small army of Checkmate soldiers jumps out and begin to fire at him. Like earlier, the bullets bounced off of his skin like they were made of rubber.

"Wall... WALLER!" Killer Croc claws his way through the twentyish men unloading on him. Blood spatters against the icy and grit roads as he the beast slays his way to the first car. Croc uses his tail, claws and feet to clear a path for him, his body gets covered by small spats of crimson red with each swipe and with each swipe came one or two fewer obstacles in his way. Eventually, there were only three men stood between him and the last vehicle.

Killer Croc uses his outstretched hands to grab the two on the side's heads and squash them with ease. He throws what's left of them to the ground and bites off the last one's head. Jones spits out the face and looks to his clear path of a red river and limbs. He slivers his way to the transport and rips the door right off its hinges and drags Waller by her hair. He pulls her out of the damaged vehicle and drools all over her face, his rotten teeth and slowed breathing were on full display for Amanda.

"...Payback..." snarls the creature as he smirks.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"How are you feeling, Bruce?" Lucius inquires to the man dressed in the Batsuit with the cowl down. Bruce walks normally like his injuries were no longer weighing him down. He felt almost good as new, stretching his arms and practising his combat prowess with swift punches in the air.

"Good. Great even. This has to be some of your best work to date" Bruce walks over to join Lucius next to the monitor "Not to mention that this will also benefit me in more than just being able to stand without issues. People will have a harder time placing me as Batman if I can barely walk outside the suit." he reaches into his utility belt and takes out the tweezers which grasped the scales.

"Well... that's more disgusting in person" Lucius inches over to get a closer look at the shed scales "Hopefully we can find a DNA match in the G.C.P.D's archives. " Lucius puts the scales into a DNA scanner "But the one thing that is bugging me is that why would he comes to the scene of the crime when it was swarming with Checkmate?"

"Croc seemed to be after Waller. It came across as being more personal than just him randomly coming after her" says Bruce with an unsure tone, his eyes focused on the scanner "We have to find him before he hurts anyone else"

Leslie Thompkins watches the two from the corner of the room "And pray tell us, just how do you plan on stopping him? He shook off a bombardment of bullets like it was nothing to him and not mention he smoked you. You would have to be insane to just go out there without a plan," she slowly walks over to the other two "I don't care how many fancy toys that you have, Bruce. They won't mean anything if you end up dead"

"Then help me" Bruce blurts out "I doubt today is the last time that I'm going to need someone to patch me up. I know that I can trust you"

"And I can trust you to almost get yourself killed... again" Lee shakes her head "Fine. I'll play along with this obsession with yours. Not because I believe in it but because I don't want to sit back and watch you die" Lee firmly retorts "Don't make me regret this, Bruce"

"I won't, Lee. I'm not a kid anymore" Bruce assures her.

Lucius' eyes widen as he sees a match from the DNA "We got something," Bruce and Lee join him in looking at the result "That's... strange... it turns out our scaly friend wasn't always scaly." The mugshot of a brown-haired man looks back at them from the screen "His name is Waylon Jones, 38, from an early age he suffered from a form of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis"

Lee crosses her arms "Fascinating, I dealt with patients who have epidermolytic hyperkeratosis before... but this? This is on a whole new level. This... Waylon Jones must have a mutated variant of it. Not only did his skin change but he grew almost double in height - this is unprecedented "

"I've seen this guy before" Bruce comments as he stares at the image "Back when Gotham was a no man's land, Alfred and I went underground to look for a creature that was eating people. He showed some signs of what he is now but he was still mostly human"

"I guess a lot can happen in eleven years" Lucius searches through the file "Remember last year when you and him fought when the court of owls business was going down? The was no record of him being put into police custody. He was moved across the country to a redacted site. One guess of who was behind that"

"Waller" Bruce growls "She must have kept him for all kinds of inhuman experiments. They must have been transporting him into Gotham when he escaped... but why?"

"That's what we are going to find out" Lucius taps the keyboard which caused for another tab to appear over the mugshot "But right now we have bigger problems, G.C.P.D has just put in a report that Waller has been taken by Jones. He's going to kill her, Bruce." Bruce turns and pulls up his cowl over his face. His eyes change to glow bright white in the mask.

Lee leans against the desk and sees Bruce heading towards the exit "How are you going to find him?"

"**Because I know where his lair is. I've been there before**" Batman growls.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

Catwoman, Talia and Harley look to the trapped Prometheus that kneels before them "So... what do we do now?" the pigtailed blonde asks. Catwoman and Talia don't turn away from Prometheus who was just sitting in silence as he too looks back at them. Catwoman's stretches her claws, glaring down to the man.

"One more" Catwoman slices her claws against Prometheus' neck which squirts blood across the white-laced snow layer forming on the roof. The man in white barely reacted, remaining silent and motionless "Tough son of a bitch, eh? Not for long..."

"Done yet?" Talia scoffs to Catwoman "He is beaten, any more would just dishonourable"

"Beaten? That's one way to look at it" Prometheus laughs.

Harley giggles as she points to him "Ya kinda bleedin' out here, just what are ya squabblin' 'bout?"

"This was only just to show what you are messing with and I am done humouring you three" Prometheus jumps to his feet, somehow managing to escape the bolas. Talia, Catwoman and Harley were gobsmacked by Prometheus' move. The man in white grabs the second sword from his back and swings forward, kicking Catwoman to the ground and throws the bolas at her legs which wrap around her legs. He directs his blade towards the demon's daughter. Talia blocks the strike with her own sword.

"I cannot be killed, I cannot be stopped, I cannot be beaten" Prometheus warps behind Talia and kicks her onto her front. He warps in front of her and kicks her face, knocking her onto her sides "Your father may have been the demon, but I am the devil. Make no mistake"

Prometheus jumps back as Harley fires at him with a pair of dual pistols. The man in white warps between each shot, getting closer and closer to the blonde until he is mere inches away from her. He grabs her by the neck and lifts her "And you are the snake." Prometheus drags Harleen towards him and impales her with the sword that was thrown through his chest. Harley gasps as her body is weakened by the blade breaking through her stomach and back. Blood pours from her mouth as she stares blankly into Prometheus' eyes.

"No!" Catwoman screams as she sits up and looks on in horror at the sight of the blonde's fate. Prometheus drags Harley off of the blade and drops her to the ground as he looks over to Catwoman. Harley weakly brings her hands over her wound which were died red by the crimson liquid coming out of it. Prometheus reaches behind to his back and yanks out the sword and throws it onto the roof as he walks towards Selina "... What... are you?" Catwoman stands back up.

"I vow that in due time... the whole world shall know what I am... but for now..." Prometheus grabs his other blade and returns the both of them back to his back holster "I hope that this little demonstration is reason for you... to never try this stunt again. If you know what's good for your loved ones..." the man in white warps behind Catwoman and rips off the barbwire from his neck. He then warps on her left as he pulls out the spears. He warps back in front of her and tears out the nails.

Prometheus then vanishes in a flash of white which took him from the site.

Catwoman pulls down her cowl and screams, her hands caress through her hair. Selina calms as she sees Harley over on the ground. She rushes over and to the blonde's side. Talia does the same, moving to Harley as the blonde weakly looks up to the other women "... C-c-c-cold. Don't f-feel... too h-hot," Harley quivers. Talia presses her gloved hands over the woman's wounds, pressing down tightly. The demon's daughter turns to look Selina in the eye.

"I warned you..." she trails off as she turns back to the blonde "She's going to bleed out. She's needs treatment ASAP"

"The bunker" Selina gasps "Bruce stocks it with all kinds of medical equipment. Lucius should be there to help"

Talia shoots her gaze back to the short-haired woman "Selina, if you take her there, she is going to learn of Bruce's secret"

"If I don't she's going to die!" Selina hisses "I don't think Bruce would want that on his conscious"

"Make no mistake, Miss Kyle. This is your doing, her blood will be on your hands" Talia rips the tail of her garb and wraps it around Harley's stomach and knots it "We best hurry while she still has a chance of making it"

* * *

**Gotham Sewers **

Waller is thrown against a wall and splashes down in a shallow layer of sewage water. She turns to see Killer Croc coming for her. His snout stretches into a grin "You... tortured... me. Cut me... open and tried... to control... me" the reptilian man tramps towards her. His pupils narrow into slits as he stretches his jaw "You are going... to die down here… I will feast on your flesh and bones... slowly... make you hurt... as you hurt me"

"Do your worst, Jones. I'm not scared of freaks like you" Waller goes to stand but the creature's hand shoves her against the wall and in place. Killer Croc learns over and snarls, saliva forming between his teeth. He breathes heavily through his nose, strong enough to blow strands of her hair. Waller is unphased by Croc's prescience. She effortlessly looks into the beast's own gaze "Go on. Rip me to shreds, feast on my bones. It won't change the fact that you're a freak, an abomination. A blight upon this world"

"But you'll be... dead..." Killer Croc grins. His nose twitches, sensing something close by "...That scent... he's here...," he throws Waller into the water and turns to the dark knight who stands concealed within the shadows "... Batman... you're here... like... before... before I... was... this..." Croc looks down at his large leathery-skinned hands and rigid claws.

Batman trudges through the sewage, his cape swerving with each step taken. His white eyes shine from within the low-lit tunnel "**I know who you are, Waylon. I know that Waller took you and did all sorts of inhumane things to you but killing her won't take away the pain**"

"I'm not... the only killer here... Waller... kills too... anyone... who gets in... her way" Killer Croc grumbles as he slouches "I... look not human... but Waller's the... monster," he looks down Waller who was crawling away. He ensnares his tail around her and lifts her up. Waller fights against its hold but she couldn't break its grasp on her. Croc traps towards the dark knight "She deserves to... die"

"**Can't let you do that, Waylon**" Batman readies himself as he takes an orthodox boxing stance.

"My... name is... KILLER CROC!" Croc rushes the vigilante, ramming his head at him. Batman moves out of the way and lets the large beast overshoot and charge away "Kill... you... then Waller" Croc spins around hitting his tail at Batman who dodges under it. He reaches into his utility belt and throws a Batarang into the creature's back which cuts into his flesh and throws Croc forward and makes Waller drop out of the hold of his tail. The Dark Knight then jumps, leaping off the wall and onto Croc's back as holds on with his left hand and uses his right arm to ram the fins of his gauntlet into his shoulder.

Killer Croc howls as he tries to shake the vigilante off of him. Seizing the opportunity, Batman shoves a handful of small black pellets into the creature's mouth as has them explode into bursts of smoke that drives him off Balance. Batman kicks off of Croc and watches him stomp around and choke with a trail of smoke flowing out its mouth and nose. Killer Croc growls as he slashes his claws at the man in front of him. Batman spins out the way, stomping down on his hand and runs up his arm. Batman punches him in the snout and backflips off of him, kicking his snout too in the process.

_"Mr Wayne, I trust that the Batsuit 3.0 is a success?" _

Batman delivers another blow to Croc's face that knocks him over into the sewage water "**You could say that**." Killer Croc gets back up and wipes the blood from his jaw. The creatures throws a punch to Batman who blocks with his gauntlet. Croc then left hooks which the dark knight blocks against but being thrown back in the process. Croc then rams his head forward and knocks the vigilante into the air and slams him against the ceiling of the tunnel. Killer Croc then uses his tail to whack Batman against the wall of the tunnel and into the sewage.

"Time... to die..." snarls Croc as he walks over to the downed vigilante "You were next... on my... list anyway...you'll suffer for what... you did... to my eye..." he claws at each side of the tunnel which leaves a trail of scratch marks as he comes closer to Batman.

The Dark Knight's eyes widen as Croc's earlier words playout in a loop in his thoughts "Eyes not important... I can... smell you, hear you... taste you." Batman rises back onto his feet and reaches into the utility belt around his waist and throws a handful of pellets that roll under the larger man's feet which release streams of green smoke that croc breathes in; Killer Croc coughs, throwing his arm over his snout; protecting him from the gas.

Batman then throws two Batarangs at Croc which unleash a bright flash and high-hissing pitch that blinds the creature. Croc holds his hands over his eyes and screams, tumbling around and swiping with his claws to find the vigilante "...Where...where are you!" the disorientated creature hisses.

"**He's not going down. Any ideas,** **Lucius?**" Batman taps his earpiece "**Haven't got that much time until he's back on my tail**"

_"Alright give me a sec. Ah, you are surrounded by water... get up high and use your shock Batarang. That should do the job"_

"**In a sewer? I'm not really looking to get myself blown up today**"

"Okay, okay... let me think. Alright... there is one way that doesn't involve anyone getting blown up..."

"**Why have a got a hunch that there's a *but*** **coming?**" Batman replies.

_"Because there is... you are going to have to bring down the tunnel on Waylon and hopefully not yourself. Explosive Batarangs are out of the picture... so - got it! The tunnel is old, unstable even. If you use your grapple gun in the right spot... it should work"_

"**What do you mean *should*?**"

_"Use the augmented strength that the exosuit gives you, now Bruce! I got the layout of the tunnel with me, I'm sending the weak point to your lenses" _Batman pulls out his grapple gun and fires it off the centre of the top of the tunnel and tugs on it with all his strength. Killer Croc's vision slowly unblurs showing a skewed image of the dark knight. The reptilian beast slowly trudges towards Batman; the dark knight pulls the cable with all his might; the top of the tunnel cracks.

"Kill... Kill..." Killer Croc charges forward as Batman gives one final muscle tearing pull and the ceiling falls upon the behemoth, crushing him under piles of debris. Batman walks forward to Killer Croc who was weakly fighting against the debris over him "... Waller... needs to die... I wasn't... the... only one. She's... taking others..."

"**Other?**" Batman glances down to Croc "**What others?**"

"T-t-task force... x" Killer Croc stops fighting against the debris "And... you're on... her list... too..." he weakly chuckles as his slit pupils change back to normal "... She... wanted me to capture you... for her. I refused... no one tells me when I kill... you"

"**Why are you telling me this?**" Batman kneels down.

"I want Waller... dead. But you? You can... destroy her in ways... I couldn't even imagine" Croc laughs "Plus... you are going to... need to... silence her..."

"**Why's that?**" Batman glares down.

"... You'll see... you'll see..."

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

Lucius Fox and Leslie Thompkins stand in front of the monitor that showcased the sewer system map. Lee turns to Lucius with an unsure look "Bruce managed to win this time... but what about the next fight? He can't save this city alone"

"He's not alone" Lucius smiles "I'll always have his back... what about you? You've given it any thought?"

"What's there to think about? My husband's friend goes around dressed as a bat and beats the hell out of criminals and now... crocodile men" Lee shrugs and folds her arms "If I do this If I agree to help Bruce in any matter that contributes to his vigilantism... I will be going against everything Jim believes in. You just can't expect me to be so eager to agree to this"

Lucius nods, understanding her dilemma "But... what do you believe in, Miss Thompkins? You knew about Bruce's secret for months but kept it to your self, you came to his aid when he needed you and even now you are still here for him"

"It's not that simple, Lucius. I wish it was though" Lee sighs throwing her head back "What would happen if Jim found out? That would make it easier for him to find out that Bruce is... you know"

"Bruce and I would never think of asking you to betray your husband, but just don't go betraying yourself in the process" Lucius advises Lee as he leaves her side and makes his way over to the weapon cache next to the case that is used to store the Batsuit. Lee was left standing alone, deep in thought as she decides on what to do. Her focus was ripped apart when she hears the sound of screaming heading into the lair. Both Lee and Lucius turn to see Selina run into the room along with another woman that was holding Harley in her arms.

"Selina?" Lucius turns and is brought into shock as he sees Harley bleeding from her stomach "What happened?"

"I... I made a mistake" Selina brokenly admit as she and Talia rest Harley on the metal table "... I was stupid..."

"We all were. I told you that Harleen had no place among us" Talia walks to the other side of the table and grabs medical supplies "And now she's suffering for our unwillingness to do what was needed"

"Selina, you're... that cat bugler ?" Lee runs to join the four other people surrounded the table. Her eyes look down to the dual pigtailed blonde who was weakly wheezing in pain "This is bad. She's bleeding out"

"Really?" Talia sarcastically replies "You don't say"

"And who are you supposed to be?" Lee coins at Talia "Get back all of you. I need to work fast." Selina, Talia and Lucius all leave her side and leave her to work. Talia walks off into the corner of the room and slams her dual blades on the desk. Meanwhile, Lucius grabs Selina's arm and drags her away.

"You did it, didn't you? I went after the one guy Bruce told you not to" Lucius blasts the woman "... What were you thinking, Selina?"

"I... I thought we could stop him" Selina yanks her arm away from Lucius' hold.

"Well... you thought wrong and now Harleen is laying over there fighting for her life" Lucius points over to Lee and the blonde patient "How could you be so reckless? I thought that I knew you better than that, you have crossed a line today, Selina. You let your emotion rule you and you are on the verge of getting someone killed because of it"

Selina rolls her eyes "You don't know me, Lucius. And Bruce sure as hell doesn't. I don't even know myself lately... I have been going through a lot lately... and maybe, just maybe... I wanted to see if there was still some good in me..."

Lucius shakes his head and looks over to Lee "I hope you got your answer, Selina. For your sake, I hope it was worth it," he turns his back to her and returns over to Lee. Selina folds her arms and breathes in. She turns and leaves the lair.

"I did" she whispers.

"It's bad, Lucius" Lee informs the man next to her "She's lost too much blood. She is going to need a transfusion if she is going to have any hope to make it." Lee walks around the table "Do you know what her blood type is?"

"Yeah, I took note of it just in case anything like were to happen" Lucius walks over to the computer and brings up a file "Let's see... here we go, O-Negative"

Lee's eyes glance to Lucius "O-Negative? That's going to be a challenge, that needs another O-Negative blood donner, and I'm not that" Lee looks down to the blonde under "Harleen? Can you hear me? Do you have any family in Gotham, a mother perhaps? Sibling?"

Harley looks up to Lee in with blurred vision "...I... sister... but she's... gone"

Lucius looks over to Talia "What about you? You a match?"

"B-Negative" Talia answers as she pulls down her hood "Plus since I've used the Lazarus I doubt my blood would be compatible even if it was"

"Lazarus?" Lucius thinks to himself. He heads towards a glass case and opens it. Lucius sees a row of test tubes full of green bubbling liquid in front of him. He reaches out takes hold of one. Talia sees the tube in the man's hand which drawled her suspicion. Lucius empties the tube into a hypodermic needle; he hurries back to Lee and hands her the needle "Lee... trust me on this. Its called Lazarus... it can heal any wounds. It may be the only thing that can save Harley right now"

"What are you doing with that in this lab?" Talia coldly affirms as she walks to Lucius and Lee "The Lazarus water is not some common medicine for you to fool around with, it's dangerous and not worth the risk. You have no idea of its true destructive power"

"Talia, can it save Harley's life?" Lucius asks, pressing his hands against the table "I'm not a blood match for her, Lee isn't, you aren't, Selina's not. Harley has no family left in Gotham so finding a suitable match for her in time could be impossible and will take too long. She'll be long dead by the time we do. Can it save her?"

The daughter of the demon nods "Indeed its healing capabilities can mend her physical wounds but heed my words, it will leave scars... just not ones viewable by the naked eye. The Lazarus can and will change her, alter her very being"

"That's a yes then" Lucius looks to Lee who agrees. The man penetrates the skin of Harley's arm with the needle and injects the Lazarus into her. Lee looks over the change in the blonde's body as the veins in arms tint green "Come on..."

Lee looks to Talia with an unsure look "If Bruce had this... Lazarus thing all this time then why didn't he use it on himself?"

Talia lifts her eyebrow "You're about to learn that for yourself."

Harley's eyes widen as her body shakes uncontrollably as all her veins glow green as well as her eyes. She screams as her glow become more prominent "She's going into shock!" Lee leans over to press the woman down "What's going on with her? You said that it would work!"

Talia al Ghul looks Lee in the eye "When translated, Lazarus roughly comes to God has helped... as you can see, this is not a gift from the heavens but an evil lauded by demons"

* * *

**Gotham Rooftops **

Batman looks down from afar, down below to the streets of the city. His glowing white eyes pinpoint the site which had Killer Croc being dragged away, bound and leashed by an electric collar and being brought into the confines of a reinforced transport. The Dark Knight turns as he sees an arrow shot into the ground beside him. Green Arrow zips down and lands on his knees. The man in green stands up and steps next to Bruce "Still in one piece I see."

"**Almost doesn't feel like it. He did a number on me**" Batman turns his upper torso towards the emerald archer and folds his arms "**If you're looking for a *thank you* for the save earlier... you've come to the wrong vigilante**"

"Gratitude never was your strong suit. Relax, I would never dream of demoralizing you to the point of expecting a simple thank you" Green Arrow replies as he grabs the strap of his quiver "Also, us billionaire vigilantes gotta stick together"

"**We're not friends. Not even close. What happened in the past is going to stay as just that**"

"I get it, Bruce" Green Arrow understandingly acknowledges "The last time we teamed up to do some good... a lot of people got hurt. We failed to stop him, and I'm sure that you also have to live that every single day."

"**You know that he's here?**" Batman questions Green Arrow although his tone made it come as cross as a statement.

"I saw the aljamal alqatil too. That's his calling card" the archer answers, "I came to this city to find the reason behind Waller transporting her tech into Star City... but now? I guess that you can't run from your demons"

"**This isn't your concern. Go back home and let me deal with this. This is my city... and my fight**" Batman turns the rest of his body to align with Green Arrow's "**I won't let him hurt anyone else**"

"Hate to break it to you, Bats. This is my fight too. If peoples lives are in danger, I'm going to be there. You're not the only one who made that promise" Green Arrow aims his bow at the next building across and aligns a bow "You need help to do this. No man is an island, Bruce. Take it from a guy who was stranded on one for years," he fires the arrow and has it penetrate the exterior of the building "I'm going to be in town for a while. I still need answers from Waller," he ziplines on the tether and leaves the eyesight of the dark knight.

"**Waller and I have our own business to discuss too**" Batman walks over to the ledge and leaps off. Bringing out his arms and expanding his cape and glides away.

* * *

**\- Unknown -**

**Later...**

Killer Croc sits with his arms bound together by titanium cuffs and a shock collar around his neck. He is imprisoned behind a large glass case that was enclosed around him. Croc's pupils narrow into slits as he sees a person walk into the room and stand before his cage. Amanda Waller smirks when she sees the state of the beast. The woman looks to Waylon in a malicious glare while keeping her conspicuous smirk. Waller starts to come closer to the glass with each step she took unnerving the creature.

"Mr Jones... how disappointing. You were making quite promising progress too" Waller now stands right before the case, the tips of her shoes touch the glass "What did you tell Batman?"

"...Enough..." Croc answers with a low-tuned snarl.

"That is very sad news to bare... for you, that is" Amanda loses her smirk and holds a face of thunder to Croc "But I suppose that there can still be some use for you. At first, you were merely a tool to capture Batman and bring him to me. But without Batman, I will be forced to find a replacement for the team that I am working on."

"... Not... interested... don't... care..." Killer Croc hisses as he arches forward and presses his snout against the glass "... Kill you... when... I get... out of here..."

Amanda Waller walks away from Croc, "Welcome aboard to Task Force X, Mr Jones. Your country thanks you for your service"

* * *

**Beneath Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

The Batmobile races through the underground road and into the lair of operations. The Dark Knight parks the Batmobile and leaps out, he pulls down his cowl. Bruce walks up the metal staircase and to the main platform. He gently caresses the muscles in his arms through the suit to help with the aching, he looks around and notices the absence of both Lucius and Lee. His eyes look over to the metal table in the corner of the room which now has more blood on compared to when he was on it previously.

He takes a few more steps towards the table and spots both Leslie Thompkins and Lucius Fox unconscious on the ground beside the table. The vigilante's eyes were drawn to the slight blood trail that drips from their skulls like they were given trauma by being pushed against hard surfaces. He kneels over Lucius and presses his middle and index finger against the man's neck. Bruce's concerns were slightly eased as he feels a pulse, same with Lee.

"Who could've done this?" whispers Bruce as his eyes finally land upon the empty tube shattered on the floor with some drops of green liquid, "Lazarus." Bruce's hears heavy breathing and careless heavy footsteps dragging themselves from behind him. Turning his head, Bruce is greeted by the sight of the crazed blonde who is hyperventilating and shaking her body unnervingly like she was possessed. Bruce stammers as he sees the blonde reach for him and wrap her gloved hands around his neck and forces him down to the floor, hitting his head on the table which knocks the wind out of him.

"Ha-Harleen! Lazarus is messing with your head. You need to fight it!" Bruce gasps, still disorientated by the impact as Harley chokes him, slamming his head back against the floor repeatedly. The blonde's vocals consist of mere high-pitch screaming and primal-like growls. Bruce uses his remaining strength to kick the woman off him and send her flying over a metre away. He rolls onto his front and attempts to lifts himself from the ground but the screaming persists, Harley crawls her way back to him.

She stops when a small dart was fired into her neck which made her movements become more sluggish until she completely falls into a slumber on the floor. Bruce looks to his side and sees Talia stood with a tranquillizer gun in her hand "First time's rough for everyone."

"Talia?" Bruce uses the table and pull himself up "What's going on here? And why is Harleen in the bunker?"

"I'll tell you... but you won't take it too fondly" the demon's daughter places the tranq gun down "Then maybe you can tell me why you have the Lazarus water as your little pet project"

* * *

**To Be Continued... **


	31. Jason Blúd

**Jason Blúd**

* * *

**\- 54, 000 Years Ago -**

A pair of brown eyes look upon the young sky above, full of stars and planets from unknown sectors of the known universe. The eyes blink, soon reflecting a bright emerald light that journeyed down from the heavens and towards the dirt of the world. Shrouded by green unrelenting flames, the object crashes down upon the land and creates a large crater. A powerful surge of energy traverses the land from the impact point, expanding outward and shaking the whole area in a violent blaze.

The owner of the eyes walks towards the crater, locking onto the alien rock now residing on the earth. The Neanderthal slides down the rocky path and near the meteor. His body comes warmer with every step that he takes, soon sweating and even burning from the inhuman heat that was radiating him, embracing him in the flashing emerald glow, almost as it was hypnotising him. The alluring flames wash the man's mind over with whispers, almost sounding alien in nature.

His skin was now burning, almost peeling away like there was an invisible force behind him that is ripping his flesh away. He touches his hand against the meteor which brings about a hiss from the foreign rock like it was alive in its own twisted way. The veins in the Neanderthal's hand glow bright green, a tint that travels up his arms like a snake that slivers its way over its prey, constricting its movement and gaining as much hold as it possibly can.

The man's eyes shot open, now flashing bright green with no pupils as he unleashes a deafening primal scream at the top of his lungs.

**\- Gotham City -**

**Present Day **

A white light blurs through the dull city, skipping across the rooftop to rooftop in a warp, travelling up the skyscrapers. Gotham is overtaken by a vicious storm, rain hammers down along with lightning that strikes all through the city. Prometheus squats over one of the gargoyles of the clocktower that oversees the entire city. His bright blue eyes watch over the city as his gloved hands pull out the Mother Box from beneath his garbs. The invention of the new gods forms a hologram of a large meteor travelling through space. The man in white watches in silence, observing the footage as he has done before.

* * *

**\- Later -**

"_Left!" _

_"Right!_

_Left!"_

Batman accelerates throughout the roads of Gotham with his Batcycle. The Dark Knight looks up to the rooftops of Chinatown as a cloaked woman leaps across from building to building. Batman goes full throttle, dashing forward across the roads. His glowing white eyes watch the above woman's every move. Batman hears Lee's voice come through his earpiece, "_So this... Whisper A'Daire. How dangerous is she?" _she asks in a musing tone.

"**I had a couple run-ins with her before. She used to be apart of the League of Shadows before she was banished for breaking the league's conduct,**" Batman swerves on the Batcycle, skidding across the road "**She was secretly using her position to extort the locals for protection money. Talia wasn't too pleased when she found out,"** the dark knight then grabs at the grapple launcher attached to the back of his utility belt, an upgrade curtesy of Lucius Fox. He aims it high above to the buildings.

_"The League of Shadows just let her live? Doesn't sound like them... well from what you've told me anyway_"

Batman puts the Batcycle onto autopilot, "**Honour means more to the League than living. The feeling of disgrace will sting more than any blade to them**," Batman shoots the grapple launcher and is swiftly thrown up into the air. He lifts up his arms and expands his cape, his shadow casts over Whisper. The dark knight tackles the woman down on the roof and kneels over her back. He yanks her hood down and sees the redhead's eyes looking back to him.

"Get your stinkin' hands off me if you don't wanna go losing them!" Whisper hisses as her skin starts to take on a more scaly texture. She slivers out of Batman's grip and kicks him down. Her skin changes to a pale olive shade and two sharp fangs form between her crimson lips ", Who the hell do you think you are," hissed the transformed woman as she slides her way to the vigilante, snapping her jaws.

"**You think you can just come to my city and kill whoever you would like? Not a chance**" Batman dodges a swipe of the woman's claws and a snap of her jaw. The vigilante grabs two Batarangs from his utility belt and throws them at Whisper, cutting into her hands and drawing her to retreat, slivering backwards while she still snaps her jaws. Batman then delivers a blow to the mutant woman's face which knocks her onto her back.

"Tough, sweetheart. You don't get a say in it. I got five million smackaroos riding on this" Whisper grins.

"**Freelance, eh? Ra's would be proud**" Batman reaches behind to the back of his belt and grabs a pair of reinforced handcuffs "**That would be if he ever cared about anyone else but himself**"

"You are not worthy to speak his name" A'Daire propels herself up and squirts acid from her fangs at the vigilante. Batman instinctively brings his cape around to absorb the hit. The highly acidic substance burns through his cape, creating holes from where it was sprayed. He throws his cape back and looks to the slivering woman now only mere inches away from him. Her eyes narrow and her lips firm into a smirk "C'mon, sugar. How 'bout a kiss for lil' ol me. I don't bite...," Whisper bares her fangs in her grin.

Batman headbutts A'Daire; taking her off balance. He then grabs the handcuffs and restraints both of the woman's arms behind her back "**Sorry to disappoint but redheads aren't my type**," the dark knight glances down to the struggling mutant woman who begins to sliver away. Batman grabs another Batarang and rams it through her tail which seals her in place. Whisper hisses in pain, she turns her head to view Batman who stood above her.

"Ah, c'mon love. Doncha wanna have me take just a small bite out of you? I bet your blood is delicious... I can make it... pleasurable for you too... no man can resist me..." Whisper lascivious purrs, still trying to manoeuvre her hands out of the bind of the handcuffs.

"**Make an anonymous call to GCPD. I'm about wrapped up here**" Batman presses his earpiece, not taking his eyes off of the secured criminal "**Be glad that it's me that found you and not Talia al Ghul. Something's telling me that she wouldn't have been as merciful as me**"

"Untie me... as I show you just how grateful I am..." A'Daire hisses salaciously.

"**You've killed over 36 people on record, you are never going to see the outside of a cell for the rest of your life. You're Welcome" **

* * *

**\- Sirens Club -**

"You still having trouble finding a new place?" Barbara Kean speaks to Selina Kyle as they sit opposite each other across the counter. The older woman refills the dark-haired woman's glass and slides back to her. Selina nods as she picks up the glass, "That must have been terrifying for you. Some stranger just coming in and attacking you like that... can't believe the police haven't caught him yet"

"The cops in this city are as useless as a glass hammer," Selina toasts her glass, lifting it up "I don't feel safe going back there... so I'm trying to find a new place to live. in the meantime, I need somewhere to crash..." Selina looks to Barbara with puppies-eyes, "I don't really have all too many friends and the ones that I do are busy..."

"Alright, Selina. I get the hint" Barbara chuckles "Of course you can stay with me, anything to help"

"What about my... roommate?"

"The cat can come too... just keep it from getting its hair on my clothes," Barbara agrees "Though... you are a big girl now, have you tried asking Bruce for help? He could possibly hook you up with a whole new apartment if you ask him... sure he might not be in the city right now... but one phone call and you are-"

"I don't want his help, Barb," Selina takes a shot from the glass, "The fact that's super pissed at me doesn't help the matter either"

Barbara double-takes at the woman's words, "Wait, he's the one mad at you? Well... isn't that a twist," hums the redhead as she reaches for her own drink "That man absolutely adores you, how the hell did you manage to get him to be mad at you?"

"I sort of went after the guy who attacked me... after Bruce told me not too and I dragged his friends into it and they got hurt," confessed Selina with an honest sigh. She sets her glass down and reaches her hand over her left shoulder which was still hurting ", I know what you are going to say. Trust me, I been beating myself up since then."

"Of course Bruce is pissed at you, so am I to a certain extent," Barbara chastises the other woman," That creep could have killed you. He could have... done all sorts of ungodly things to you... I thought you were smarter than that, I thought that I taught you better"

"Like you wouldn't have done the same thing as I did," Selina argues, finding flaws in the woman's tangent.

"Maybe before I would have...," Barbara agrees before reaffirming her look ", but not now. I have a daughter, Selina. And I just don't mean little Barbara but... in some ways, I view you as my daughter too. Sure I didn't birth you... or wasn't there for your early childhood but I looked after you and taught the best way that I could...," confessed Barbara with tears forming in her eyes ", I wasn't the best role model that was for sure... but my care was genuine... Tabitha cared for you too..."

Selina rubs her eyes, wiping away the faint layer of tears forming ", You miss her, don't you?"

"Every day... every damn day," Barbara answers, "She was ripped away from me... please don't go trying to get yourself killed, Selina."

Selina weakly nods ", I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have done it..." Barbara walks around the counter and to Selina's side and brings her to a soft embrace ", I was just so angry... I just didn't want to feel helpless. I had enough of that with my childhood..."

"I love you, Selina. As far as I am concerned, you are family," Barbara reassures the dark-haired woman ", Bruce loves you too, he'll understand why you did it. But please... never do anything like that ever again...," the redhead smiles.

"Barbara is lucky to have you as her mother," Selina complements with a weak smile.

"No, I'm lucky to have her as my daughter," Barbara replies with a clean smile ", Family is important, Selina. Not just because you share the same blood... because we look out for each other. And that feeling is one thing that no book can tell you. You have to learn that all on your own by the people around you."

"Book?" Selina says under her breath. Her eyes softening as she gets an idea ", Thanks for the pep talk, Barb. It really means a lot."

"No worries... I'll just have to do it again when you next come by," the older woman waves off Selina's words "... Swing by anytime, not just when you're feeling down..."

Selina gets up from her seat ", Will do."

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

Batman drives through the underground tunnel, decelerating as he reaches his destination. He stops on the Batcycle, parking it beside the Batmobile on the platform. The Dark Knight lifts off of the vehicle and traverses up the metallic stairs until he reaches the main hub. He catches sight of Lee Thompkins stationed at one of the terminals. The vigilante pulls down his cowl as he comes closer to the woman. Bruce rubs his shoulders that were still hurting from last week

"Did you find out who that snake lady's target is?" Lee slurps from her mug as she turns in her chair to address Bruce.

"Not yet," Bruce candid as he pulls off the Batsuit's gauntlets ", Whisper was trained by the League... even Ra's himself. There is nothing that I could do to her that would make you spill it. She would rather swallow a bucket of cyanide"

"There's a thought," Lee hums, stopping as she was on the receiving end of one of Bruce's infamous glares. Lee shrugs, "Kidding. I'm kidding"

"Lucius not back yet?" Bruce asks as he stands next to Lee ", Guess we'll need to carry on without him for a while."

"Doing what?"

"Learning who Whisper's target was," Bruce gets onto the computer.

"And just how are you going to do that? We have nothing to go on" Lee pouts as she slides her chair away from the man, "It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Or since its Gotham: finding a piece of hay in a needle stack"

"Think of it as a process of elimination," Bruce searches through the files on the screen "At the moment there are roughly 8 million people in the whole of Gotham, and about only 1. 278 people on the Island. Let's say that there is an equal split between men and woman... that would lead to now dealing with over 600,000"

"Why does that matter?"

"She referred to her target as male. I know Whisper. She's not someone to lie about her prey," Bruce answers as he continues narrowing the search, "She also mentioned that she was being paid five million for the job. This could mean that her target is a part of wealthy or someone with influence in Gotham, a politician maybe? Someone who will be a challenge for her to keep under wraps."

"What's the point of this anyway? She's locked up... shouldn't you be concerned with other things? Like those exercises I've told you to work on?" Lee asserts her point by lifting her eyebrow.

"Whoever sent Whisper... is bound to send another, and another until the job's done. I have to find out who the target was so that I can take steps for their safety," Bruce crosses his arms and looks to Lee "Even with all the limitations on the potential target, that still leaves roughly 6,000 people and that's lowballing it"

"Mhm," Lee glances over the cornucopia of possible candidates ", What about her past victims? Maybe there's a correlation between them. That could help narrow the scope even more"

"Could be of some use" admits Bruce as he continues searching, "Not much is known about Whisper's victims, only that she uses her fangs to inject a deadly neurotoxin into their systems through their neck. Like an artist signing their work"

"Hold on a moment, why would an assassin want to give away their existence? Doesn't that go against the whole... secret society thing?"

"To the untrained eye the fang marks look like any regular snake, but the people who would be on Whisper's list would know what they really are...," Bruce goes back to looking through the files "Its a sign, a warning to the others on her list. Like someone aware of both her and the league of shadows"

"That narrows it down considerably," Lee mused.

"So the possible targets have to be either: me, Lucius or Alfred. But Alfred isn't on the island, Lucius only knows a few things about the Shadows... and that only leaves me. But Whisper was clear that she wasn't here for me," Bruce stammers perplexed.

"Then... that means its someone that not even you know about?"

"Looks that way"

* * *

**\- Gotham City Library -**

Selina walks through the hall feeling uneasy, not due to feeling in danger but the mere thought of where she was. In all her years she had never entered a library, not if she could avoid it. But her she was. In the middle of Gotham City's largest library, looking for clues. Breadcrumbs even. Anything that would help her learn about the man in white. She needed to know, she needed to learn how to stop him. She needed to stop him. Selina walks past the countless large bookshelves surrounding her, like a rat in a maze.

She wasn't alone, people sat at the tables and near the shelves all around the hall. She wasn't sure of what she was looking for, barely knowing where to start. Selina passes another bookshelf and comes across a man stood at the top of the ladder who was stacking the books to the top. The man had auburn hair combed back with a white streak in the middle. The man wears a pair of glasses over his green eyes. He's dressed in a black turtleneck shirt and black jeans.

"Hey!" Selina calls to the man, "I'm looking for a book about Prometheus, care to help me out?"

"Prometheus, Greek mythology. Look on that aisle" the auburn-haired man tells Selina in an old-fashioned English accent as he keeps on stacking the shelves, not looking down to her.

"About that... this is kind of embarrassing, I don't know where that is... this is my first time here"

"Well you know what they say: there's no time than the present," the man coldly replies, "I suggest you learn. You have a perfectly functioning pair of legs, stretch them"

"Oh, you're going to be like that?" Selina nods with a half-baked smirk, "It's your job to help people find what they're looking for."

"You're not going to leave, are you?" the mask asks.

"Get your butt down here, get my book and then I will" Selina sasses the man. She sees the man grab onto the handles of the ladder and slide down it to the floor. The auburn-haired man impatiently looks to her, hands on his hips, "You know... you are a complete dick. I wonder what your boss would think about the way you treat the people here"

"Doubt he would care," the man comments as he leads the way for Selina, "Because this is my library." After a few minutes of awkward silence, they come to their destination at the end of the hall. Selina and the man standing in front of a large bookcase, "There. Lived up my end. Now get your book and sod off"

"Wait" Selina stops him as she inches closer to the shelves trying to read the spines of the books, "Which one is the best to start from?"

"I don't bloody know, you're the one who's looking for the book, just chose one and stop inconveniencing me from my work. Some of us don't have time to muck around at our leisure," the man rolls his eyes, "... Fine. Try starting at the Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. It's just around five hundred pages... which should keep you quiet, I doubt you're not much of a fast reader" he reaches into the shelf and pulls out the book. He presents it to Selina "All the greek mythology for those of us who aren't as intellectually charged"

Selina takes the book, "D-Did you just call me stupid... in a somehow polite way?"

"I'm certainly not calling you a genius" the man turns from Selina ", How can you get to your age and not once before step into this library? Every bloody kinder gardener comes here for a field trip, we have the dastardly college kids most days too. I've worked here for a very... long time and I would remember meeting you."

"Cut me some slack, jeez. I never had the opportunities most other kids had"

"Knowledge isn't some birthright, it's something that one must find on their own. That's the beauty of it. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, where you're scared that you'll end up. Knowledge is leaned at the moment, by one's own initiative" the man replies.

"Where are you doing with this?"

"Knowledge isn't a weapon, it's a gift, a blessing to one's own self and the others around you," the auburn-haired man turns "Funniest thing, last week I was watching a news broadcast about this uh-Killer croc's murders... only to see that the headline was changed to saying *Prometheus*. I doubt that its a coincidence that you are here looking for information on that name," he takes off his glasses, "I'm going to say this once and only once... you're way out of your depth girl... both you and that vigilante boyfriend of yours," his tone took on a dark complexation, one of mystery, yet also wisdom.

Selina looks at the man in shock, stepping back ", Who the hell are you?"

"That my dear... is a very, very long story," the man with auburn hair answers.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Checkpoint Outpost **

Whisper A'Daire is escorted through the facility, her hands still shackled and a muzzle over her mouth. Being pushed and prodded by two armed Checkmate soldiers. Her eyes look ahead, across to an advanced computer in the corner. One of the Checkmate soldiers shoves her forward ", Move your ass, freak. We're on a schedule here!" the soldier shoves her again. Unbeknownst to the men behind her, Whisper's hands begin to releases a slippery fluid all, letting her hands sliver out from the binds.

Her eyes narrow, she kicks back and knocks one of the guards onto the ground. She then twists her torso to face the other soldier, slashing her claws across his face. She then slides behind him and breaks his neck with her hands and lets him fall onto the floor. She then looks over to the previous Checkmate guard standing back up and fires at her. She slivers across, dodging every single bullet that he fires and grabs his shoulder, throwing him over her and onto the ground and rips off the muzzle. A'Daire then throws her body down and straddle him. She latches her fangs into his neck and drains his blood while he struggles from beneath her. She remains doing that for half a minute before finishing.

She rips her fangs away and walks over to the computer with blood dripping from her lips. She drags the man on the ground. She uses the guard's hand to bypass the handprint scanner. The redhead then goes through accessing all the information that she can, stumbling across on something of interest: the database of everyone in Gotham. Her lips curve into a grin, pleased with what she had found. Soon she was staring at the image of an auburn-haired man with green eyes. The man had a streak of white in the middle of his hair.

"Found you..." Whisper hisses as her reptilian eyes reflect the image of the man "You couldn't hide forever... it was only a matter of time..."

* * *

**\- Wayne Tower -**

**CEO Office **

"Impressive, Harleen" Lucius complements ", I honestly believed that this might have been too much for you but here we are. You've done everything that Bruce listed." Lucius stands before the desk which had Harley sat behind it. The blonde sucks on a lollipop whilst giving a thumbs up. She looks down to the pile of papers resting on the desk.

"What can I say? I'm smart enough to be a psychologist, paperwork is nothin'" the blonde chirps with her voice being muffled by her full mouth ", It helps that I had practice forging his signature before," the woman in the red dress adds with an innocent look.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to rewind that and explain," Lucius gives a questionable look to the blonde.

"Back when I was I was just a girl in high school... I had the biggest crush on Bruce. I might have forged fake love letters from him to me...," the blonde twirls her fingers in her ponytail ", The things I wanted him to do to me..." she whispers lecherously.

"Right..." Lucius mumbles "Forget I said anything," he grabs the pile of paperwork "I'm going to file this... and hopefully forget what I just heard." Lucius walks out of the room and leaves the blonde to her own devices.

**Ten Minutes Later...**

Lucius travels down through the building within the elevator, on his way to the lower levels. Ones that did not show up on any map. A floor that mere existence was kept secret between a select few individuals. Arriving at his destination Lucius steps out and joins Bruce and Lee Thompkins in the bunker. A high-tech base, full of displays of tools used for Batman. He walks over to the two, stepping beside the sitting Lee, "Apologies for getting held up. What did I miss?"

Lee bobbles her head, holding a half-smirk ", How 'bout a blood-sucking snake lady vampire? One that Bruce happened to know beforehand"

"Did you say... vampire?," Lucius dusts his shoulders ", Why does all the cool stuff go down when I'm not here."

"She's not a *vampire*," Bruce conveys, standing in his Batsuit with the cowl down ", Her name is Whisper A'Daire and she used to be a high-ranking member of the League of Shadows, Ra's right hand. Talia got rid of Whisper as soon as she could."

"That doesn't explain why she's a vampiric snake lady," Lee coins her eyebrows.

"I think it does" Bruce clenches the space between his eyes ", Ra's was a mad man. When he discovered that the Lazarus pit's effect was dwindling after every use, he advised experimentations with it. One of them involved splicing the Lazarus with animal DNA. In this case, it was a king cobra."

"And instead of testing it on himself... he used Whisper as a guinea pig," Lucius sighs, lifting his head up ", That's how she got her powers, but why is she in Gotham?"

"I caught her when I was on patrol. These days she's freelance and is in this city to kill someone. Someone who knows something that their not supposed to," Bruce explains. He then brings up all previous research that he had done on the computer for Lucius to see, "I've ruled out all of us... so it's a john doe."

"Wait. Whisper was captured, right?" Lucius asks, locking onto the screen ", For someone trained by the league, you would have thought she would be better and staying undercover."

Bruce's eyes stammer, he turns to the other man ", She wanted to be captured..."

Lee leans over the table and looks to another monitor next to the other ", Would it be a bad time to tell you that a Checkmate captive escaped? Killed the guards too..."

"Location, Lucius. Now" Bruce bolts off and grabs the gauntlets on the desk next to them and puts them back on. He then pulls over his cowl and covers his face. The lens over his eyes glow bright white "**We could have just given her what she wanted**"

"Checkmate has records of every person currently in Gotham... we just gave her the tool to find her target," Leslie looks over to Batman and Lucius ", We need to find her."

Lucius nods, leaning over and searching through the alert ", We will. No one else is going to die. Got the location, sending it to your AR vision, Bruce." he sees Batman hurry down the metal stairs and towards the Batcycle.

"Be careful!" Lee stresses as she sees the dark knight race into the tunnels and out of their vision.

"Bruce normally wouldn't be so easily fooled. There must be something that's bothering him," Lucius comments as he looks to the screen in front of him that shows him the vision through batman's eye lens ", This whole Prometheus ordeal is messing with his head."

"Hopefully not enough to get himself killed," Lee contributes.

* * *

**\- Gotham City Library -**

Jason Blüd, a man of mystery and darkness. He stands two feet away from Selina, though his shadow somehow still cloaked here. Though the shadow of the man was different from him, almost looking like it had horns. The auburn-haired man pulls out a folded piece of cloth and wipes down his glasses. Selina backs away, stepping away from the man. She throws a death glare at him, full of venom "Are you... him? Are you him?"

Jason puts his glasses back on, "If I was who you think I am... why would have I not laid a hand on you yet?," he returns the cloth to the pocket of his jeans ", No my dear, I am not him. But I know enough about him to know that you are snooping in places where you shouldn't be snooping."

"So what? You wanna protect me? Be friends? Sorry, but I'm not buying your crap"

"Protect you? Oh you misfortunate minx, there is no protecting you against Prometheus," Jason Blüd paces with his hands now in his pockets ", After that stunt you pulled... he's coming back to kill you. He only let you keep breathing due to him seeing some potential use in you. Once you fulfilled that purpose... well... it won't matter if you still have all of your nine lives. He will have your head."

"Are you trying to scare me? cuz it's not working, I'm not afraid," Selina readies her claws from behind her back.

"Of course you aren't" Jason observes the woman's features ", Fear is necessary. Self-preservation is the sole reason that humans have made it this far, to deny fear... is to fight against one's own nature. Like you are living one continuous lie," he stops on the spot ", And you know a thing or two about living in a world of secret of lies, whether it's them being kept from you or when you are the one keeping them." The mysterious man sits down a stool next to the bookcase ", As I said before, you are out of your depth, he has lived for over twenty thousand years... he mastered every single martial art, knows every form of torture... no, he invented them"

"You sound like you know him... like you know his name? What is it?" Selina asks, her voice shaken.

"Of course I do, I know every single name he has ever had: Cain, Vlad the Impaler, Ivan the Terrible, Nero of Rome, to name a few. Think of the worst tyrants of history and there's a high chance that it was him. He created rivers of blood far more large than any god could...," Jason answered.

"How can I even trust anything that you say? This whole thing is... crazy" Selina cusses.

"I'm not seeking your trust, nor do I find any value in it. The only reason that I am telling you this is for you to relay this information back to your nocturnal companion...," the man stands up, "Or don't tell him. Far as I am concerned; my conscious is clear on this matter"

"If this was so important then why don't you tell him yourself? Why do you think that I'm just some oracle to him."

"Because Prometheus does," Jason steps closer ", He hurt you to get to Bruce... as a warning to him to stay out of his business. The moment you stop talking to Bruce is the moment Prometheus will come for you when he'll kill you. He thinks that you and Wayne are destined to be together, he thinks your love will bind you... make him perceptible... weaken him"

"He called me Bruce's inamorata, what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Prometheus will keep coming for you. Antagonizing you and you will keep coming after him, in a loop. Each time ending in you getting hurt and Bruce being overcome with more guilt. And it will work, you will fall for it every time because you too are battling your own demons and trust me... I know what that is like," Jason explains ", Your heart is currently full of anger, hate and sorrow, and he will use it against you." The man turns and looks up to the clock that oversees the lower floor and the balcony ", It's late. I suggest you go home and clear your head. I'm about to close up here. Don't come back here."

"So that's just it?," Selina hisses ", You know what we're dealing with - who we are dealing with, and you are just going to tell me to leave? He's a monster, a demon. We need to stop him... we have to stop him before he can hurt anyone else... he's going to keep coming until he wins."

"If the fool would persist in their folly... they would become wise...," Blüd holds his right hand against his chest "Good night. Now if you ever so kindly get the hell out of my library."

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Checkpoint Outpost **

"**I'm in**" Batman approaches the computer, passing by two body bags. The area outside was swarming with hostile forces comprising of both Checkmate and GCPD forces along with Amanda Waller. The Dark Knight reaches into his utility belt and brings a high-tech USB which he plugs into the port.

_"Decryption is in process. Estimation of thirty seconds needed_," Lucius' voice informs the vigilante over the communicator "_, The lockdown would have defaulted all Checkmate tech to go into a secured state. Any attempt to access it before the protocol is lifted would result in the kill switch being activated."_

_"And losing all the data stored on it," _Lee's voice adds from Lucius' side.

"**I know what a kill switch is. All of my gadgets and even the Batcave are full of them**"

_"Oh-uh...sorry."_

_"Twenty seconds"_

Batman eyes focus on the screen in front of him, seeing the files deciphered one by one "_, So Bruce... I've been meaning to ask you: what happened earlier? Shouldn't you have picked up the fact that Whisper went down too easily? In hindsight it was obvious that it was a_ trick," Lee asks the Dark Knight.

"**That doesn't matter now, what does is capturing her before she can complete the** **assassination**"

"_All that I'm saying is that you haven't been putting your best foot forward lately. Every since Selina went after Prometheus... it's like you are way too distracted_"

**"I'm not doing this,"** The Dark Knight looks to the progress of the decryption.

_"You are going to have to, Bruce. I get that you care for Selina. I understand that you love her... but somewhere in Gotham... there is a man's life at risk and you being distracted and unfocused is only going to put him in more danger."_

**"What happened to you not *believing* in this crusade of mine?"**

_"You already are swarmed with guilt, Bruce. The last thing you need is a heavier conscience. You will never forgive yourself if Whisper wins_"

"_Done. Its fully decrypted," _Lucius intrudes on the duet's conversation ", Now you can see what A'Daire was looking for"

"**On** **it**," Batman searches through the records and lands on the image of an auburn-haired man "**Got it. She's after someone named: Jason Blüd**."

_"We're seeing it, Bruce. Let's see... Jason Blüd works at the library just outside Chinatown," _Lucius looks over the details on his end.

"**That's too public. Whisper wouldn't want any witnesses. She would want somewhere more enclosed... like his home. You got an address?**"

* * *

**Streets of Gotham **

Selina Kyle moves on the rooftops above, following after the auburn-haired man who walks on the sidewalk. Jason Blüd carries a messenger bag over his turtle neck. Selina continues to manoeuvre from above, staying silent and keeping out of his sight. She watches the man like he was her prey and she was the predator, like a true cat and mouse game. She sees the auburn-haired man enter one of the houses below and proceeds to follow after him, climbing onto the roof the house.

From inside, Jason walks into his study which held a medieval aesthetic. A hard wood floor with marron rugs that has a pattern of demonic imagery, Victorian bookcase surround the room almost like a layer of paint and the windows were covered by stained glass and curtains. The room was mostly dim, beside the select few lanterns placed around the room. An old-looking desk resides at the end of the room, one that was drowned in multiple books which were lit by a lantern on the side along with a full wine rack and an empty glass. A fireplace rests at the side of the study with the crackling and lively flames warming the room.

Jason Blüd walks over to the desk and takes off his glasses and drops them on one of the closed books. He grabs his small glass and one of the wine bottles from the rack. He pours the clear liquid into the glass and takes a sip. His eyebrows furrow as he notices something was in the room with him. He places the wine bottle back onto the desk but keeps the mostly full glass in hand ", I know that you are there... I can feel your presence"

"So much for having fun with this…" a voice hisses from above. Whisper A'Daire slivers down from the shadows and onto the floor. The assassin looks to the man ", It's been fun while it lasted... but I've finally found you... once I kill you he will be free to rule this world"

"I'll take it that you were the one who killed the others: Immortal Man, Mitchell, Candra, Ahri'ahn."

"What can I say? He sure knows how to treat a girl!" A'Daire grins, she grabs her blades from her beck ", It's only you left now... you are all by your lonesome"

"That's the irony of eternal youth... it often comes with a life one sees as not worth living," Jason sees Whisper charge towards him, he instinctively lifts his hand "prohibere!" his hand is shrouded a dark purple mist which also traps the redhead woman in a cage of fog, tugging her away from him. He places the glass down and turns back to A'Daire ", You may claim my life today but it won't easy," he waves his hand around and keeps emanating the mist.

"He said that you are weak, your magic is pathetic compared to your other self's. The demon's power is what kept you alive throughout the ages... and if you keep fighting against it, your magic will eventually run out...," Whisper hums, fighting against the magical binds as she slowly makes her way towards him ", Of course... you won't be alive when that happens." With one final tug, she breaks free of the incorporeal chains ", Usually I would have killed my targets by now... but you? He said that I can play a bit"

"Playtime is for children, I suggest you spend your time with books instead," Jason Blüd lifts his hand with a violet glow. Whisper looks around as she sees the books around the room fly off the shelves and heads towards her, knocking into her: legs, hands, arms, feet, chest and face like a swarm of animals on the hunt. They knock her over and pile on top of her "I do not fear my death, I have been ready for a long time."

"Give me a minute!" Whisper yells as she shoves the books off of her and jumps to her feet with a face of anger, baring her curved fangs ", I'll be sure to change your perspective..." Jason Blüd makes a break for the door to the study however, the assassin was far faster than him, beating him to the door and blocking it. Before the auburn-haired man could react to the situation, he was shoved onto the ground by A'Daire's fist ", Prometheus may have wanted me to kill you... but I'm going to be the one to enjoy this..."

Whisper A'Daire slowly approaches the downed man who crawls away from her, not losing eye contact.

"Change! Change! O form of man... free the prince forever damned... free the might from fleshy mire, boil the blood in the heart of fire...," Jason chants unnerved. His blue eyes slowly transform to a red tint. He reaches the back of his desk and sees Whisper less than a metre away ", Gone! Gone! O form of man and rise the demon-," he was stopped by the redhead shoving her hands over his mouth and mumbling his words.

"Sorry, darling but I can't have you going all demonic on me...," A'Daire grins, "You're weak old man, and its time for someone new... Though I'm disappointed, I would've loved a little fight"

"**Then you are going to love me**" a dark voice growls from behind the two. Whisper turns and is greeted by the sight of the Dark Knight who punches her in the face and knocks her off balance. Whisper backflips away and throws her own strike at the vigilante. Batman blocks with his gauntlet and grabs the woman by the throat and chokeslams her onto the crowded desk. A'Daire laughs playfully as she tightens her thighs around the man's waist and tilts him off his footing and slams his sides onto the desk.

"**Run!**" Batman orders the auburn-haired man who follows through, running out of the room.

"Oh... I love you alright... love to kill you!," Whisper jumps onto the unstable vigilante's back and wraps her legs around his waist and right arm around his neck, using her left hand to pull at the pointy ears of his cowl. She yanks Batman by the ears and brings her mouth to his armoured neck "What's the matter, Alwatwat? Have you never handled a woman like me before? It's not so easy when I don't let you win, is it?"

"**I'm not interested in this game of yours**," Batman throws his arms behind his back and grabs at Whisper's head. He throws her onto the wooden floor scattered with the books. A'Daire backflips off the ground. She sends a kick of her leg at Batman. The Dark Knight catches her foot and throws her back. She cartwheels away from the vigilante and smirks. Whisper sees the Dark Knight hurl another right hook at her. She evades his punch and returns with her own.

Batman uses his open palm to stop her first. Tightening down on it like a mouse trap. Whisper repeats her previous action in hitting with her other hand. Batman enclosed his other hand around hers. He falls backwards onto the ground and knees A'Daire in the stomach. He then rolls her over him, landing her past him, her head just barely touching his cowl. At the exact same time, the pair get back up onto their knees with Whisper winning in speed.

Taking use her current height advantage, she kicks forward with her left leg, turning on her heels and encloses her thighs around the back of the dark knight's neck and weighs him down onto the muddled floor. She sits down on the man's upper back and slams his head into the pile of hard-covered books ", You just had to go getting involved in business that you had no part in...," she grabs the vigilante's pointed ears and lifts his head up ", I wasn't here for you... but I'll be more than happy to end your life here and now. It's bound to save me some trouble in the future, Alwatwat..."

"**I'll always be there to stop you**," Batman growls, "**Lucius, now!**". Whisper A'Daire was propelled back by a strong surge of electricity that overtook the Batsuit. Whisper weakly rolls over onto her front as she attempts to stand with Batman doing the same. There were small fumes of smoke coming off of them.

_"Are you still with us, Bruce?"_ Lucius asks concerned over the communicator.

"**You weren't kidding... when you said that you ramped up the defibrillator...**" Batman sluggishly crawls on his knees. He brings his hand up to his throat and gently caresses it.

_"I'm just happy that I had the foresight to add that rubber layer within the Batsuit, because if I didn't... you would be dead_"

"**Remind me... to... give you... a raise**," Batman stands up, weak at the knees and unable to set himself consistent footing. His cape swerves with every sudden movement, every tired and fatigued motion that he took towards the also recovering Whisper. His glowing white eyes hone in on A'Daire ", **It's over. Give up... you will not take another** **life**...," the out of breath man exhales. A'Daire cracks her neck, feeling her body stilted.

"I always get the job done. I never... fail," Whisper drops back down to her knees and holds her chest tightly. She winces in pain and feels her heart racing ", That's a nifty suit that you got there... for a moment... I thought you would have used enough voltage to stop my heart all together... but then I remembered...," she weakly laughs, holding a tooth-showing grin with her eyes closed ",... You don't kill. You're weak... that's why Prometheus will win... he's not held back by some foolish code"

"**Mercy isn't a sign of weakness, it's a show of strength**" Batman wobbles his way to the woman "**I'm taking you in**"

"Not happening," Whisper sluggishly stands up and reaches behind her "I can see why Talia fell for you... you are just as a nuisance as she is..," she throws a circular black bomb on the ground. It erupts in a large blast of smoke that shrouds her within. Batman reaches out to grab her but she was gone before he could get her. Batman now stands alone in the messy Study.

"_Are you alright, Bruce? What just happened?"_

"**It's Whisper. She got away...**" Batman reveals "**We need to find** **her**..."

_"Come back to the bunker for now. We can think up a plan when you return_"

"**On my way. She won't go after Jason in the meantime... not when the authorities are going to be watching over him**" he clenches his sides when he walks out of the room which left it empty or so he believed. A minute or two after he left, a silouette jumps down from above. Selina looks all over her surroundings. Her eyes lock onto a locked book displayed within a glass case on a stand of its own. She couldn't explain the feeling or how she started to feel it in the first place. All she was privy to was that the book was attracting her like a magnet.

She profusely thought against the urge but in the end, it won out over her. As akin to the nature of the theme of the other persona, she could not ignore her own curiosity. She steps before the stand and looks through the glass case. She reaches into the pockets of her jacket and takes out a spare set of claws she uses for her Catwoman costume. She slides on the claws like they were simple rings and proceeds to cut a hole through the glass, one large enough to fit the book's width and height.

Once she's finished, she moves to pull the book out of the case which gave her a completely clear view of it. The book appears to be coated with silver. Selina's eyes fixate on the demonic-like face that was on the front of the cover. The book was sealed shut by a latch that attached on each side. Her hands gently press against the cover, feeling all the unique markings on it ", What is this...?" She takes the book and holds it under her left arm.

* * *

**Beneath Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"She almost had you good, Bruce," Lee bandages up Bruce's right biceps. The billionaire sits on the table in the medical bay with the top half of the Batsuit removed, "From the looks of it, a couple more seconds and she would have snapped your neck like a twig."

"I had it under control," Bruce sighs.

"Sure you did" Lee pats the man on the back," If it wasn't for that *shocking* save from Mr Fox over there... you would be dead"

Lucius joins the other two at the medbay with a first aid kit in hand. He hands over to the doctor, "Lee's right, Bruce. If I hadn't added that protocol you would have died. It's not like you to give your opponent such opportunities to counter. Whisper beat you, Bruce. She won. Are you registering that?"

"Give me a break, Lucius" Bruce runs his hand through his messy hair "Whisper isn't like the other people that I have faced in this city. She's an assassin who trained under Ra's Al Ghul for decades. It also doesn't help that formula she was injected with makes her superhuman: She's super strong, her reflexes are faster than mine, her agility is beyond human...," Bruce stands up and holds his bandaged bicep, "At this point she makes Killer Croc look like a worn-out wildlife mascot," Bruce stops and falls back onto the table, hissing in pain, "Right... forgot I need the Batsuit to stand..."

"That's not it, Bruce. I know you better than that," Lee comments, "So what if she's *beyond human*? That wouldn't stop you from going after her again and again until you stop her. Whatever is going on with you... it's not about Whisper, is it? You've been shaken ever since the Prometheus guy appeared on the scene"

"If you knew what he was capable of... you would understand why..." Bruce looks down to the floor, "And Whisper is working for him. Which means this Jason Blüd guy is a person of interest to Prometheus which also means he's a person of interest to us. We have to find out why he wants him dead"

"I'll see what I can find. I'll get back to you if I find anything worthwhile," Lucius walks off out of the medbay.

Lee Thompkins takes a moment to understand the strange emotions ruling over Bruce's features: Sadness, anguish, fear, regret. They were all there, battling with each other to become the dominant emotion that he showed. She looks down as she hears her phone ring from inside her coat. She takes out and flips it open, "I got to go, Bruce. Something's just come up at Gotham General... moment of truth...," she stands up and smiles, "I get to find out if I still got a job there after that whole nightmare show"

"Take care, Lee" Bruce flatly tells the woman.

"Let me know if anything comes up, okay?" Lee collects her belongings and makes her way towards the elevator in the bunker. She stops, taking a moment to turn back to the man, "You can do this, Bruce. You just need to believe that you can"

"Last time I checked... hope is Superman's forte"," Bruce leans over the table.

"Have you tried reaching out to him? Aren't you two friends?" Lee questions.

"No," Bruce answers bluntly.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

**\- Jason Blüd's Study -**

Jim Gordon paces around the study and takes in every detail that he could: the floor drowned by the layers of books on it, the dents in the desk, the subtle dents in the cases of the books like they were stepped on by something heavy, like an armoured boot, "So let's get this straight... neighbours call in about a disturbance here. Turns out that some third-party broke into your house and totalled this whole place... and you returned home to find this mess and the perpetrator already gone?"

The Commissioner asks Jason Blüd who stood at the doorway with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, "Precisely, Commissioner. And this used to be such a nice neighbourhood. I was just as shocked as you were to find my humble home is such disarray"

"If you say so," Gordon looked down to his notepad with the notes he wrote, "We are going to have our guys here for a little longer. We'll need you to stick around too. You'll need to identify any missing belongings"

"That won't be necessary. You will be pleased to know that nothing was taken... I've already done a headcount. Everything's here," Jason Blüd informs the Commissioner. James turns his torso towards the edge of the room, "Nothing was stolen? Then how do you explain this?"

Jason Blüd follows Gordon's gaze to the breached glass case on the stand. He walks over to the case, carefully stepping over all the books on the ground on his way. He takes off his glasses and holds them at his sides, "That my dear friend is something I must see to myself. An old family heirloom if you will."

"Not if those marks are what I think they are..." Gordon gets close and examines the hole cut in the glass, "This matches the modus operandi of one of our persons of interest. But she always stuck to jewellery. Property damage on this scale is far from her norm. What kind of heirloom was placed here?"

"A book that was passed down my family through generations. Nothing that should catch this-uh *Jewels* thief's attention like you claim" Jason answers, his eyes glooming over the empty case, "This could prove troublesome if this matter is left unattended," he thinks to himself.

* * *

**\- Elsewhere... -**

**Across Gotham City**

Barbara Kean sits on the couch in the living room while she looks over the shoulder of her daughter. Barbara Gordon lays on the floor, kicking her legs while she scribbles on sheets of paper. With crayons, she draws a picture of Batman, though the image was slightly more than a stick figure. Kean smiles at her daughter's joyful demeanour. Seeing her daughter smile helps soothe her own inner dread of the current state of the city. Young Barbara was so innocent, so pure. Like the best parts of both her and Jim and none of their bad. She was perfect. Absolutely amazing to her.

Barbara Kean turns when she hears the front door open. Selina walks in with a smile present, "Thanks again for letting me crash here, Barb." Selina lugs around a small rucksack over her shoulders, "It really means a lot."

"Don't mention it. You're welcome to stay for as long as you want," Barbara gets up and helps Selina with her bags, "We have a spare room... of course... there are going to be a few ground rules"

"like what?" Selina muses.

"Well, for starters:... no boys are allowed over, absolutely no swearing in front of the little one, and don't even think about snatching my wine without asking," Barbara lists to Selina. The dark-haired woman nods to the woman's mandates. Turning and spotting the girl in front of the television doodling. She realizes that Barbara Gordon was drawing Batman. Selina internally sighs at the sight, knowing that the man that she drawing was nowhere near the hero the girl thought he was.

The older woman sees Selina looking over the drawing, "Little Barbara is mad on that Batman guy. Whenever she sees Jim... she always bugs him about wanting to talk to him. It's like she sees Batman as more of a hero than her old man..."

Selina drags her eyes from the sight and back to Kean, "Well you know what they say: don't meet your heroes. I got a feeling that he wouldn't live up to her expectations. He's not the hero she thinks he is, not even close"

"If there's one thing I've learned with Jim. You can only hold a person to an impossible standard for so long before they'll end up failing you. I used to think of Jim as this imperturbable guy who always did the right thing, who never got scared or made mistakes. But then, reality set it. He lies, he feels fear just like the rest of us and he made his fair share of mistakes," she looks over to her daughter, "Sometimes, you need to take the good with the bad because no one is perfect... but that doesn't mean that they don't try to be"

"There's being flawed... then there's whatever he is. Jim didn't go around in a Halloween costume beating up street punks. I'm just saying that Barbara is looking up to a guy who she can't even begin to understand. She'll be a lot better off if she just stopped idealizing that guy," Selina suggests.

"But he stopped the bad man," the young girl shyly intrudes, crawling up to the couch, "He stopped the bad man from hurting me and my dad," she intrudes in the two women's conversation, "And the bad woman too. He saved my dad and mommy"

"So?," Selina delicately asks the girl, "You don't owe him anything so don't feel like you have to"

"I wanna meet him... I wanna ask him," young Barbara looks over the couch to Selina and Barbara Kean.

"What do you want to ask him about?" Selina sombrely questions.

"I want to... ask him why he does it? Why he helps people... I wanna ask him that"

Selina inches closer to the young girl, "Have you tried asking your dad about it?"

"... He doesn't like to talk about him anymore...," young Barbara drops her head.

"I see...," Selina was at a lost for words for the girl's pleas to talk to Bruce's alter ego. Or was Bruce Batman's alter ego? Would Bruce even care enough to do what she was asking? She knew him, more than she wishes she did. He would get mad if she asked him, claim some bullshit excuse and then treat her like the guilty party again... as he always did. Selina was driven crazy by the thought of the girl having such faith in him, such innocent hope and need to speak to him. Maybe try to understand him.

It doesn't matter anyway. Selina believed Bruce to be too heartless for it.

Barbara Kean glances down and takes out her phone after she receives a text, "Selina, I hate to drop this on you now, but I need to get back to the sirens club. Can you babysit Barbara until I get back? Should only be an a couple of hours..., the contractor screwed the pooch on the new layout" Barbara Kean requests of the other woman. Selina agrees with a subtle nod.

"Didn't you say not to swear in front of the kid?"

"Do as I say, not as I do," Barbara smiles, "You alright to get yourself unpacked? Your room is the last on the right, the empty one. You can't miss it"

"I'll manage"

* * *

**Beneath Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"Jason Blüd: the owner of the biggest Library in Gotham, has an estimated IQ of nearing four hundred, is a self-described altruistic individual, is a well-known donator to cancer research for the children's hospice ... I hate to tell you, but he checks out. He doesn't seem like the guy who would have ties to the League of Shadows or Whisper," Lucius informs Bruce.

"Not everyone is who they appear to be, Lucius. Keep looking. There has to be something, something that he can't brush under the rug," Bruce keeps his eyes on the file that is displayed on the screen, "There is something that we're missing. There has to be," he looks closer at Jason Blüd's image, "How did he form his wealth? Any fowl play suspected?"

"Inheritance. It checks out. Everything is legit"

"Too legit if you ask me," Bruce tells the other man, "no prior convictions, no public scandals, he even paid every single one of his taxes on time. His life is reported to have been quiet, then Whisper just happens to have him on her list? I doubt she would be hired to kill him if he was as squeaky clean as his records show."

"I don't know what to tell you. I can't find anything that links him to being involved with the League of Shadows"

"You will find no such detail that does" a voice calls out to them. Bruce and Lucius both turn to see Jason Blüd stood at the top of the set of metal stairs that lead to the underground tunnels. The Auburn-haired man stands with his arms held behind his back, "I've never been involved with the League. I'm a man of education, not their brand of justice that they spout."

"How did you get in here?" Bruce growls at Jason.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Blüd saunters towards the pair of men, "How I got here isn't important. What is, is why I'm here. It appears that we share a common foe, I believe the best course of action is to work together on this matter," the redhead explains as he looks directly at Bruce.

"Just who the hell are you?," Bruce reaches behind his back and grabs a Batarang from his belt.

"That's a long, long story. Over sixteen hundred years worth if I was to be precise..."

"You're immortal like Ra's was... like Prometheus is?" Bruce tightens his grip around the Batarang behind his back.

"To the contrary, immortality is a broad spectrum. For some, it means never worrying about one's death, but for others... it just means eternal youth. No, I can still die... I just get to look young forever," Jason Blüd clicks his fingers, "But of course, if are not yet trusting of my intent than feel free to throw that Batarang at me if it would make you feel better."

"What if it does?," Bruce reveals his clenched first with the Batarang, "I'm not exactly a trusting person. I'm going to need more to go on, otherwise, I am going to have to take you out. Tell me: Why is Whisper after you?"

"We are in your kingdom... and you are the king, I believe an explanation is reasonable. My name is Jason Blüd and I have walked this earth since the sixth century. I believe that you are referring to Whisper A'Daire, right? She's not after me, her employer is. Prometheus has been trying to find me for years now, he ordered Whisper to kill me... just like she did the rest."

"Rest?" Lucius asks.

"I'm not the only immortal to walk this Earth, neither is Prometheus," Jason takes off his glasses, "Tsaritsa, Darhk, Casandra, Ra's al Ghul. There's more than that too. We were gods among men... but then us gods... got greedy. We formed god complexes," he shrugs, "Prometheus wanted to be the one only, the only god of humanity, so he began hunting us down. Though his immortality made him almost unable to be killed… not all of us shared that trait"

"And he had them all killed? Why would he need Whisper to do his dirty work for him?" Bruce comments.

"There are rules in place by things you cannot begin to understand, rules that stop us, immortals, from kill one another. He cannot kill me as much as I can kill him, we are never allowed to fight. That's why Prometheus is using Whisper to hunt me down..."

"Wait, you said that he was almost unable to die...? You know how to beat him, don't you?"

"Only one man knew precisely how to do it. Ra's al Ghul knew the secret and he took it to his grave, I'm afraid without him; Prometheus could be unstoppable... that is... unless you and I combine our forces and work together because its the only way that we are going to make it out of this alive," Jason answers.

* * *

**\- Elsewhere... -**

**Across Gotham City**

Selina looks over the silver crested book she placed on her own lap. Her eyes fixated on the demonic imagery, the rough hexagonal pattern and what looks be like subtle claw marks. She sits in silence, not bringing herself to open it like there was some force telling her not to, fighting against her will. She wanted to reach out to it, touch it but she just couldn't. Not because she chose not to but because of the looming darkness she could sense coming from it, that was almost forcing her away from it.

"Just what are you?" she whispers.

"What are you looking at?" Barbara Gordon crawled onto the couch with Selina, "That thing looks mean."

"This thing?" Selina looks away from the book and to the girl sat beside her, "No, it's just some fancy book. That's it... I bought it as a present for a friend whose into this kind of stuff," she reassures the young girl who still carried a nervous expression. Selina sees the girl holding a sketchbook tightly to her chest, "That your artbook? Mind if I take a peak... I love your work."

"Okay... but don't tell mommy," the girl timidly hands the pad over to Selina.

"Why don't you want your mom to know?" Selina flips through the pages in the book. As expected it was full of drawings of Batman, though done in black crayon. Ones of Batman standing, ones of him looking out over the city, ones of him holding hands with a girl who Selina guessed was the person who drew it. Selina was lost. Barbara seemed to have an infatuation with him. She really did see him as a hero. Selina was greeted with similar drawings until...

The next page she turned to shocked her, made her shiver and shake. Green, purple and red crayon cover the page in the form a nightmarish rendition of the man he used to be Jeremiah Valeska. It was frightening, bright red crayon was used for the stretched lips of the man. Selina turns to the next page and sees a similar drawing though more crude and haunting. She turns again, and again, finding greater and greater fear-inducing imagery.

"... What is this, Barbara?"

"That's the bad man..."

"Why are you drawling him? Why?" Selina places her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Because I see him in my dreams... he's always there... he hurts my dad..., he always laughing" the girl shyly admits, not looking the woman in the eye.

"Those aren't dreams. They're nightmares. You need to tell your mother... she needs to know about this"

"... She'll get mad..."

Selina gently brushes the girl's hairs back, "What? She won't be mad at you. Why- Why would you think that?"

"Not at me... at my dad, like before. I don't want them to fight again... please don't tell mommy, please, please"

"Hey... look at me... it's going be alright, I promise," Selina lifts the girl's chin up, "Is that why you want to talk to Batman?"

Barbara nods with her eyes watering, "He makes the bad man go away."

Selina is speechless, not having any ideas on what to say. She can't respond, she just doesn't know how to. Barbara was fragile, just a kid. Yet she has already been terrorized by the man who also haunts her. She remembers the fear she felt and then has to imagine what the girl must be going through at her young age.

* * *

**Gotham Docks**

_"In position"_

**_"In position"_**

_"in position"_

Jason Blüd stands at the end of the wooden pier along the docks of Gotham City. Lucius waits up by one of the cargo shipments with a tranq gun in hand. He looks through the scope and onto the pier that had Jason on it. Batman lurks in the shadows, among the various crates.

_"She's going to be aware that this is indeed a trap,"_ Jason's voice comes through Batman's communicator.

"**That's the point**"

"I see...," Blüd pinches the spot between his eyes, "I'm the sacrificial lamb to your endeavour, how quaint you must be feeling right now..."

"**Keep Radio Silence and don't move."**

_"We got movement. On your six" _Lucius radios to the two men.

"... Clever girl," Jason Blüd looks to the female assassin that casually walking towards him. Whisper A'Daire ambles to the man. Her green eyes shine from within the darkness that oversees the docks. She reaches behind her back to the blade attached to her harness. Her pale skin was accentuated by the cloak of the night that made her almost look undead with shadows across her eyes. She twists the hilt of her blade and holds it down to her sides.

"A trap is only as such when you no idea of it, I expected more from a man of your calibre. Same goes for you, Alwatwat. hiding in the shadows," A'Daire looks over to the crates of the darks which had two glowing white eyes, "You will all die, even the man on whose pointing the toy at me."

"How did Ra's al Ghul's little pet get so much bite?" Blüd ferociously asks with a glare, "He didn't care about you my dear, you were just a means to an end for him. You meant nothing to him. Ra's only cared about himself..."

"Silence yourself or I shall cut out your tongue!," Whisper growls. She lifts her blade, "I did everything for him. I slayed armies in his name, I marked the ground with the blood of his enemies. I served the Shadows with my life... my love for him was genuine"

"**That's a detail that Talia never told** **me**," Batman reaches for his grapple launcher.

Jason Blüd removes his glasses and tries to hold back a smirk, "And what did he do to return your love? He caged you up, cut you open and put you through an agony only a few men and woman know. And why? Because Ra's was only interest in serving his own selfish needs. You were no more than the dirt on which he walked on," he softly chews on the end pieces of the frame of his glasses, "And after all that? You still fooled yourself into thinking that you loved him"

"I did... I DID! I would have honoured his will... but his bitch of a daughter banished me! She made the League think that I broke their laws! I was disgraced, broke, alone. I HAD NOTHING LEFT...," Whisper saunters forward, "But to turn to a man who could make the pain go away, someone who could let me burn the world... as it burned me," she steps closer and closer to Blüd, "Only Prometheus can save me now!"

"**Talia lied... Whisper never extorted those people... Talia set her up...**" Batman's eyes widen. Batman breaks out of the cover and comes out into the open. He stands behind the woman, a few metres away from her.

_"Bruce? What are you doing? We have a plan_," Lucius radios down to the Dark Knight.

"**Plan's changed. I can't go through with it now... she needs help...**"

"Don't need your help, Alwatwat! Especially from a man who slept with the woman who destroyed me!," Whisper A'Daire shouts, "I will kill both of you tonight, I swear"

"What are you doing? She's here to kill me!" Jason throws his arms up, "So what if she had a tough life? You did... and you turned out fine... mostly."

"**If you want to kill him... then you have to go through me! If you truly cared about Ra's... then prove it...**," Batman trudges towards Whisper. The woman turns to face the vigilante, lifting her blade, "**Accept my declaration: I challenge you to trial by combat!**"

"A fight to the death?" Whisper ponders, "You? Aw, sweetie... who are you fooling? I am well aware of your reluctance to take a life? Why the hell would I even begin to think of accepting? You'll only be wasting my time"

"**You don't know, do you?**," Batman proclaims as he steps closer to her, "**You may blame Talia for banishing you from the League... but I gave her the means to do so, the means to put her in charge,**" the Dark Knight and A'Daire were no more than a meter away from each other, "**I'm the one who killed Ra's al Ghul... I am the person who he chose over you, I am the man who took him away from** **you!**" Batman witness the change in the woman's face. A once semi-playful expression now turned into a face of pure rage "**And I am offering you the means to finally get your vengeance!**"

"Oh dear..." Blüd mummers, "This isn't a part of the plan"

_"... What are you doing, Bruce...? Do you want her to kill you?_" Lucius yells through Batman's earpiece.

"Alright... I accept... I accept your plea for death," Whisper returns her blade to the holster, "But not here... I won't allow you to have a grave, that's far too good for you... you will die, and no one shall ever discover your body... Nanda Parbat, 48 hours. If you don't show... then I shall murder every single person you hold dear, I will make the streets run with the blood of your loved ones," she reaches into her garb, "I grant you this curtesy, thus I demand my own from you... bring the woman you love with you to Nanda Parbat... so she may watch me slit your throat... fail, and you wish to beg me for a swift death!"

"And my quarry too, I do not wish to travel to this city once again... in the meantime... I'll take a little insurance... how about the man up there?," A'Daire turns her head to look up at Lucius "Enjoy your last day on this earth. " Whisper throws down another smoke bomb that conceals her, covering her exit from the scene. Batman's eyes widen, looking up to try and spot Lucius but he couldn't. He grabs at his earpiece and frantically yells his name.

"**Lucius! Lucius! LUCIUS! Oh no, no, no, no! She took him!**" Batman's hands clench into fists. He pulls down his cowl and looks out into the distance, "... What have I done...?"

"You had a chance to beat her before... but now? You just gave her the perfect motivation to fight... vengeance, a feeling that you are all too familiar with. One that you know the power of... you have just sent me and everyone else you love to the gallows...," Jason Blüd puts his glasses back on. The two stood on the docks, alone as the early hours of the morning slowly approach the city.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**A/N: **

_I know Jason's name is spelled as "Blood", however for this story it's going to be written as "Blüd"._


	32. Spirit of the Goat Returns

** Spirit of the Goat Returns **

* * *

Rain storms through the city of Gotham in an unrelenting assault, both thunder and lightning join in.

"Help! HELP ME! HELP!" a brunette woman screams as she runs through the Narrows, within the cloak of night. Just after midnight. She's dressed in a black dress and high heels with short hair that forms a small fringe just above her eyes. She flails her arms and drags her exhausted legs, taking a quick gasp with each step she took. On her desperate escape, she runs through multiple unclean puddles and splashes over her, covering her legs and dress in mud-like stains.

"HELP!" She screams, screams and screams at the top of her lungs. She knew with each gasp she made was only going to fasten her undoing. But she had to, she had to find someone to help her. She had to. In her panic, she trips over and snaps her high heels. She falls into a deep puddle off the sidewalk, fully soaking herself. She breathes heavily and her chest heaves, straining from each and every inhale she made. Her eyes tremble as she sees a reflection in the puddle before her, given ample light by the street lamp above.

Her own image looks back at her, that and something else. A larger individual who now stands above her crawling body. A man dressed in a black mechanic jumpsuit with their face covered by a leather mask, one that had horns on the sides. He holds a hammer in his right hand.

"Dear God..." the woman trembles as she slowly turns to look up to the masked man.

"Not God. I'm the goat!" the man snarls. He then swings the hammer down towards the woman. Blood spills on the sidewalk, running through the trail of water and down the drain.

* * *

**Beneath Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"Pillock! Absolute bloody wanker!," Jason Blüd slams his palms on one of the tables, throwing a glare over to the brooding Bruce, "Plan! P-L-A-N - PLAN! Have you heard of it? You propose a stratagem and follow through with it! It was simple, Whisper walks in knowing our trap, we then spring another on her - she dodges it... then you snap her up with the original trap among the confusion, it's basic deception!" Jason yanks off his glasses and drops them on the table "And now because of your idiotic saviour complex, I am a dead man walking!"

"She's confused, angry and feels betrayed. The first guy she turned her manipulated her into being his personal assassin! I thought that she would prove to be more helpful as an ally rather than just locking her up," Bruce stammers as he faces Blüd.

"Are you having a bloody laugh mate,?" Jason chuckles, "Wake up you imbecilic! She was in love with Ra's al Ghul! What rational woman would think for a sec that he would even precipitate their feelings? As far as I am concerned… she was lost long before she took up arms with Prometheus!"

"You don't know that!"

"YES I DO! Ra's doesn't take chances! He never once dabbled in the land of *what ifs*, he only pursued ventures that were only absolute certainties! He bathed her in the Lazarus, welding her mind to his will! For eighty years she stood beside him! RA'S WAS A DISEASE AND A'DAIRE IS THE SYMPTONS OF HIS INFLICTION!"

"SO WHAT!? I shouldn't help her? She's blinded by hatred... there's no way to live. I don't care what Ra's put her through... I'm not letting him destroy her. I'm not letting Ra's destroy another life!"

Blüd lets loose a small laugh, "Your hypocrisy is quite amusing to me. You claim to a man of justice, yet you let a cat-burglar freely walk the streets, an assassin work in the same building as you.. and now? You are showing sympathy for a woman who has slain hundreds of innocents in the name of the man who destroyed your city," he stands with his hands on his hips, "Call it a hunch, but I got a feeling that you have a thing for the bad girls"

"I know that people are more complicated than just being good or evil. I'm going to Nanda Parbat to get Lucius back and try to get through to Whisper"

"Good luck with that chap. Whilst you are embarking on that death wish... I shall be getting the hell out of the city... but first... I have some unfinished business. If you would excuse me." Jason grabs the pair of glasses from the table and puts them back on. He throws on his messenger bag and looks to the elevator that leads out of the lower levels.

"Where are you going?" Bruce blocks the other man's view, "You're coming with me to Nanda Parbat."

"Am I?" Jason humours Bruce as he grabs the strap of his messenger bag, "Hate to break it to you buddy, but I'm not stepping foot there."

"if you don't... Whisper will kill Lucius."

"And which one of us dashing gentlemen got Mr Fox into that little predicament of his? It certainly wasn't me... oh wait... it was you WHEN YOU TOLD WHISPER THAT YOU KILLED RA'S! This is your doing, Bruce. Your mess! And it's up to you to clean it up"

"You're telling me that you would let a man die... because you are too much of a coward?"

"Being a coward is the reason why I have made it for as long as I have. I never asked for this curse of immortality but its mine all the same. The death of a good man is the least that I have on my conscience," the auburn-haired man holds his hands out to Bruce, "My words may not do justice for my will to see you get your friend back. But if Ra's was a disease then I am poison. I'm not a good man, not even close." Bruce refuses to shake the man's hand.

"Maybe today is when you can start to be. I'm not asking you to be a hero, I'm just asking you to do the right thing"

"Apologies my friend, but you don't live as long as me without corrupting your own sense of right and wrong," Jason moves past Bruce and walks into the elevator. He turns back to look at Bruce, "If you want a shot at being Whisper though minuscule: Ask her about Dusan"

"Talia and I are long overdue for a talk," Bruce says under his breath. He sees the doors close on Jason.

* * *

**Barbara Keans's House**

Peace, tranquillity, harmony.

All ruined by the sudden buzzing of a phone placed on the nightstand. Selina hisses at the sharpening sound. She rolls over and runs her hands through her hair "Why?" she reaches over and grabs her phone. She sits up and answers the call, "This better be good."

"_This matter is important but the circumstances are anything but good,"_ Sofia Falcone's voice wakes Selina up fully.

"How'd you get this number?"

"_C'mon. We're family. Do you really believe I would be one to deny us a simple way of communication?"_

"So you keep reminding me. Just tell me why the hell you are calling me this early?" Selina glances over to the outside through the windows of the room, seeing the twilight hours of the morning.

_"It's half 7... in the morning"_

"My point still remains"

"_I believe its best if you were to see for yourself. Turn on the news"_

"Fine!" Selina stands and walks out of her room. She enters the living room and looks to the television. She grabs the remote from the couch and changes the channel.

_"- And in what's to be another ritualistic killing, another daughter of the wealthy has been found dead. Rachel Dawes, daughter of Louise Dawes and Anna Dawes..._," Vicki Vale reports as she stands in front of the body bag, "_Rachel was described as being a kind-hearted caring girl and her loss will indeed haunt her parents for days to come_. These new strings of grizzling murders come eighteen years after a similar resurgence of murders haunted the city of Gotham..."

"This city really is going to shit... even more so"

_"I would be careful if I were you. If this indeed the work of the *Goat* then I must warn you to keep a low profile. The last I need to worry about is that nutjob coming after you"_

"Why the hell would that creep come after me? He's gunning after the elite"

_"You're a Falcone, Selina. That's as elite as you can get. That and being a Wayne but the rich boy skipped town; only leaving us"_

"So what? No one knows that I am... a Falcone. I sure as hell haven't told anyone..."

_"Neither have I. But people can overhear things, say things that they shouldn't, anything for a little more bucks"_

"I'm hanging up now... don't call this number again." Selina hangs up and looks back to the TV.

"_We are still waiting for an official statement from the GCPD, if the Goat truly has returned then we are in for even more bloodshed. Stay tuned for the latest updates on this matter. This is Vicky Vale... signing off. Back to you Jack"_

"Son of a bitch!" Selina snarls. She slides her phone into her back pocket.

"Why did he kill her?" a petite voice asks Selina.

Selina turns to see Barbara Lee standing behind her, "What? How much of that did you see!?"

"Enough to know that he's a monster... like the laughing man. He killed that woman... why?"

"Don't concern yourself with that, Barb. You're too young to have to be exposed to that," Selina kneels down and smiles at the girl, "How about the two of us go out and... get some ice cream? A little birdie told me that was your favourite"

"I don't wanna," Barbara Lee shyly looks away, "I'm not a kid. I'm going to be thirteen soon. I want to know. I wanna understand why he's killing them"

"Because he's a bad man, Barb. A really bad, crazed and heartless person. That's why. Now drop it." Selina takes the girl's hands in her own, "Some people do things just do be evil, to hurt others... there is nothing to understand." Selina carefully caresses the girl's cheek, "I spent my whole childhood living in fear, Barb. I sure as hell not going to let you do the same. You deserve a childhood"

"...Okay... I'll stop..." Barbara Lee drops her head, "I'm... sorry Aunt Kyle"

"Don't be. I just want to see you be happy." Selina smiles as she ruffles the girl's hair, earning a giggle from her, "Now about that ice cream?"

Barbara Lee nods with a smile.

* * *

**GCPD Precinct**

**\- Captains Office -**

James Gordon and Harvey Bullock both stand silently before Amanda Waller. The woman holds a glare, holding her arms close to her chest, "I read your report on the Goat, and I was lead to believe that the case was closed. But here we are" the unamused Waller looks over to the television on the wall. Jim and Harvey both turn to look to the screen, "Raymond Earl is dead. So unless he has magically resurrected-"

"Which wouldn't be out of place for this city," Harvey quips.

"Does this look like a situation deserving of your tone-deaf witticism?," Waller sees Harvey visibly stumble back, "That's what I thought. As I was saying since Raymond Earl is dead, this can only be indicative of a copycat... which Raymond Earl also was"

"A copycat... of a copycat? Oh sweet holy-," Harvey comments.

"Stop talking. I can see I made the right call in trusting in Gordon. You two are on this case, you solved it before and you are going to solve it again... and for the last time." Waller walks around the desk and scavenges through the drawers.

Gordon slides his hands to his overcoat's pockets, "I was planning to go after this son of a bitch anyways. Just like the first time the Goat was killed, we sealed the file and left out key details to ensure that there won't be any more copycats. Right now we are going off of our own memories," Gordon sees Waller gesture her hand to his. She passes him a specialized Checkmate ID badge. He takes it from her, "We need access to the autopsy report, that way we can confirm if this copycat really knows their stuff"

"You're holding a state-of-an-art Skeleton Key. It will override any electronic lock... you will be granted full access to all files involved in the case. You'll find the girl's body in the Elliot Memorial's morgue. Do whatever it takes to get this guy" Waller informs the two men.

"You aren't advising us on this one?" Gordon examines the Key Card.

"I have enough to deal with as it is. This is just to ease public tensions - this is all you"

"And if we don't stop him before he kills another person?" Harvey muses.

"We'll be the ones dragged through the mud" Gordon answers as he and his partner exit the room. Waller smirks as she sees the two men leave, their backs to her.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker - **

Leslie Thompkins descends down Wayne Tower in the hidden elevator. Her ears begin to pick up the sound of muffled screams that sounded of an argument that was brewing down below. Sure enough, the more she descended the tower, the louder the noise became. Lee looks over as the doors open and reveals the bunker and the two people yelling at each other. A man and a woman. Bruce and Talia. Lee hears it all. The harsh exchange of words, the vicious tone each took.

"YOU LIED TO ME, TALIA!" Bruce yells at the demon's daughter who snuffs at his accusations.

"I LIED TO YOU? YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT LIES? FINE! Let's discuss the tubes of Lazarus water THAT YOU WERE HIDING DOWN HERE! THE LAZARUS IS A SERIOUS THREAT, NOT A TOY FOR YOU TO PLAY AROUND WITH!" Talia growls, "JUST WHAT YOU WERE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH IT? SELL IT AS A MEDICINE TO MAKE MONEY? WELL? I'M WAITING!"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME! THIS ABOUT YOU LYING ABOUT WHISPER!," Bruce directs at the heiress, "YOU FRAMED HER FOR EXTORTION! YOU MADE HER TURN TO PROMETHEUS! AND LUCIUS HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T STAND THE SIGHT OF HER! ALL BECAUSE SHE LOVED RA'S?"

"Do not pretend to act as if you know me! I won't lie, that did equate into my choice of what I did... I'm certainly not proud of it, not theses days I'm not. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN A'DAIRE IS INNOCENT IN THIS MATTER! SHE'S A PARASITE ALL THE SAME!" Talia glares, "And you kept Whisper's presence in Gotham a secret from me? Oh... look how that turned out... you're weak will... let her escape and take a trophy! DON'T YOU DARE BLAME THIS ON ME! THIS ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T JUST DO WHAT WE KNOW MUST BE DONE!"

"Kill her?" Bruce shrugs, "That's what you meant, right? Kill her... then just call it a day? JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

"YES! I MEAN KILL HER!" Talia shoves herself forward and almost pounces on Bruce, "SLIT HER THROAT IF YOU HAVE TO! Strangle her with your bare hands if you must... Anything but continuing your foolish sanctimonious hissy fit!

"First, Blüd tells me to kill her... now you? I know that you and I don't understand each other most times... but you promised me that you were going to do things my way while you were in the city. At least he has the excuse of being Whisper's target" Bruce folds his arms while still looking to the near Talia. They were close, close enough to feel each other's breath.

"Blüd? As in Jason Blüd? How dumb do you think I am?"

"Excuse me?"

"THERE IS NO JASON BLUD!" It's a fairy-tale! Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Jason Blüd and Etrigan the Demon?"

"Hate to break it to you, princess. But Blüd is a real person. He's here in Gotham," Bruce replies to the disdain of the woman, "He told me that Ra's was the only person who knew how to stop Prometheus"

"Which is ridiculous!" Talia pulls herself away from Bruce, "If my father was aware of a way to beat him... don't you think that he would've used it for himself?"

"Ra's wasn't exactly a cut and dry guy. I wouldn't put it past him to have a plan from beyond the grave"

"WILL YOU LISTEN TO YOURSELF? THIS IS DUMB! You have less than forty hours to get to Nanda Parbat... you should just focus on that. Not this false hope. I don't care who you talked to yesterday... it was not Jason Blüd... it can't be! He's not real! Just a myth!"

"Whisper wants him. She wants me to bring him to Nanda Parbat and he isn't too thrilled about the idea... fine! I can take you to him. I can show you Jason Blüd"

"Don't bother. Good luck not getting yourself killed," Talia, "Nice knowing you." The daughter of the demon marches past Lee and walks into the elevator. Lee whistles at the sight, tending to one of the stations next to Bruce.

Lee waits a few moments before speaking up, "You want to tell me ab-"

"No." Bruce turns his attention to the large screen behind him, "There has to be something going on to take my mind off of-"

"How about you ask me if I still have my job?" Lee suggests.

"Fine... do you still have the job?" Bruce looks over the screen.

"Well... yes... but no. Still employed but I'm being moved to the Elliot Memorial Hospital," Lee shrugs.

"Elliot? Like Tommy Elliot? You probably shouldn't tell him that you and I are close... doubt he will be too thrilled abou-" Bruce stops as his eyes lock onto an alert that formed on the screen, "What?"

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital**

**\- Morgue -**

A man wearing a blue shirt under a white lab coat with blue plastic gloves oversees a metallic table with the deceased Racheal Dawe. He hooks over the body which was concealed up to the neck with a white sheet. Tommy Elliot looks to the two men opposite him. Harvey and James see the plate of blood-soaked tools on the side as well as the faint stains of red on the man's gloves, "Rachael Dawe, 17, Time of death is 8: 45 AM, she was found with her driving licence. The sicko must have been proud of his work," Tommy reveals his findings to the two officers.

"It has some similarities but this girl was killed by blunt trauma, not really the Goat's style," Gordon folds his arms and looks to the sealed wound at the back the girl's head.

"Actually that is a common mistake that is made," Tommy reaches over to grab a clipboard, "The blow to the head on only caused a TBI. Judging from the wound and the state of her body. She was killed by something else"

"She was asphyxiated, wasn't she?" Jim eyes the woman's neck, "Did you check her scalp?"

"Figured as much. I was just about to get to that," Tommy passes an evidence bag to Jim, one which enclosed a penny, "Found this at the bottom of her skull after I noticed an incision in her scalp, also found some skin fragments under her nails. She must have got a few licks in "

"It matches." Harvey removes his hat and clenches it against his chest.

"No one should know about the coin besides us two. The firstborn child to a wealthy family, asphyxiation, the coin? How the hell did someone learn about that? We didn't even make a file of the case," Gordon turns to his partner, "Dr Marks is dead, only she knew how to make the goat"

"If this is an exact copycat then we need to act fast... before another kid loses their life," Bullock throws his hat back on.

"We already solved this case before... and an exact copycat means an exact same method. We already know how to stop them... and now we have something else on our side... we got the bastard's DNA," Jim Gordon pulls out his cell phone and holds it to his ear, "Harper, it's Gordon. I'm sending a bag of evidence your way. I need you to run point on this one"

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

"Chocolate Chip? Nice pick" Selina and Barbara Lee walk-through on the sidewalk, alongside a set of metal railings that oversee the river. Selina wears a black crop top and black jeans with a spike studded belt. She holds a vanilla Ice cream cone in her right hand while she holds the girl's hand with her left. Barbara Lee carries her ice cream in her left hand. Selina smiles when she sees the innocent joy in the girl's eyes, "Don't go dropping it"

"I won't," the girl chirps.

"Good cuz I'm not buying you another one" Selina remarks with a sweet smile, "How's school going?"

"Okay... I guess..." Barbara Lee nervously slurs.

"I never spent a day in school so I can't say that I can relate" the slender woman admits, "I can't imagine the pain of spending my whole day doing what someone loser tells me to do. Seems like my own personalized hell"

"Aunt Selina, Can I ask you something?" the girl turns to Selina.

"Only if you stop calling me *aunt*. That does not make me feel conformable about my age at all" Selina hums with a smile.

"Fine," the girl plays along, "Why do you hate Batman?"

"What makes you think that I hate him?" Selina and Barbara Lee keep strolling on the sidewalk.

"Last night when you and my mom were talking, I heard you saying that I shouldn't be looking up to him, that he wasn't a good man," the girl lifts her chin to look up Selina's frame, "Why don't you want me to talk to him? I want him to make the bad man go away again"

"He's not exactly an expert on overcoming childhood trauma. He'll doing more damage to you than good... I just want for you to be happy and sometimes that means being willing to tell it as it is. A guy who dresses like that has no place in offering life advice to a child"

"I'm not a child," the girl mutters, "You won't understand what the bad man does in my nightmares. He is always hurting my dad and laughing... and Batman never comes to stop him. I'm hanging just like before and the bad man keeps hurting him but Batman doesn't stop him"

"He hurt me too, a long time ago but that doesn't mean that I sleep easy these days," Selina tells the girl, "I'm no psychoanalyst but I'm guessing the reason why Batman never shows is that only you can make yourself overcome the trauma"

"I'm tired of being scared... I just want the nightmares to stop..."

"I understand that you don't want to tell your parents, but they are the ones who should be helping you through this, not some costumed vigilante or even me. Your parents love you, Barbara. You can confide in them" Selina ruffles her hand through the girl's hair, "You will see that's not so bad. They will be there for you."

"No they won't... they'll just fight again. And it will be because of me," Barbara looks away from Selina, "They hardly spend time together. They haven't taken me out together for a long time... why can't my mom and dad just be together? I don't wanna choose between them anymore. Why can't I spend time with both of them together..."

"Oh..." Selina trails off, "It's complicated. They just have a history... all thing's considered, having both of your parents still around is a lot more than most kids have. I know it's not ideal for you... but they just went separate paths... with you being the one thing to bring them back to each other. They both love you more than anything"

"Then why is my dad with Lee?"

"I thought you liked Lee?"

"I do. She's really nice but if my dad loved me... wouldn't he want to be with my mom?" Barbara asks in innocent with a hint of sadness.

"Barbara...," Selina whispers.

* * *

**\- Gotham City Library -**

**Back Office**

Jason Blüd sits behind his desk and dials on a rotary telephone and holds the mouthpiece on his shoulder, "Am I talking to Mrs Brimstone? Ah good... no, you weren't meant to come into work today - in fact, you won't have to worry about coming in again. Yes, you are being fired. Why? How about you try answering why Macbeth ended up in the children's section? No, I do not believe that I am being overly harsh. If you have no respect for historic literature then you have no business working in my library, good day ma'am" Blüd hangs up the call and returns the mouthpiece to the telephone "Kids these days... no respect for history"

"So Bruce was telling the truth," Talia comments as she walks through the latched open door to meet the man's gaze. Talia styles in a black symmetric top and a pair of red flare pants with a set of vale heels. She wears her hair down and a choker around her neck with a demon insignia clip, "It appears that lines between fact and fiction are becoming blurrier by the day."

Jason Blüd removes his glasses and stands up, "I know those eyes anywhere, the same darkness that plagued Ra's. How fascinating for you to come here," he clicks his fingers, "You're not Nyssa, so you must be his little girl, Talia I presume?"

"I'm not here to chitchat"

"Of course you aren't. You Al Ghuls never were too formal, well at lease Nyssa knew how to bloody knock"

"You're going with Bruce to Nanda Parbat," Talia says in a tone that makes her words seem like a fact, an undeniable request.

"Straight to the point, just like your father," Jason lifts his coffee mug off of the desk and slurps it, "Contrary to Bruce's believes, I am no more indebted to him than an ant he chose not to step on. Bruce put that friend of his in peril, it's his mess and his alone to fix"

"You misconstrued my words, this is not a request. You will go or you will suffer"

"I doubt you can't even begin to fathom just how crude your words are. Life as an immortal may begin as dandy but eventually, the high dwindles and you realize, eventually, it ceases being living and becomes a fate worse than death," Blüd pulls open the desk's top drawers, "But enough about me, let's discuss you. Bruce believes Whisper's breakdown was sprung forth by your actions. You didn't like her taking your father's attention, thus you framed her for a crime she didn't commit... your anger with her remained even after your father's passing"

"Do not think that you know me. I made that decision on more than just some petty grudge"

"Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't, that is a realization you must come to on your own," Jason takes out a pager from the drawer, "Now if you would excuse me, I am late for... something important."

"You were a myth, a bedtime story that I read as a child. It makes me wonder... if you are real... then what other aspects of that tale are also true? Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a man and a monster bind together, fighting each other for control..."

"I am familiar with that work, yes. Your point?"

"You're hiding away in the shadows... in shame. Almost as if you believe that you deserved to be punished. You are hiding from your sins," the heiress taps her nails against the man's desk, "If there's one thing that my father taught me, it's that we all have our demons, sooner or later we all have to face them" she looks to Jason's gaze, "You will join Bruce because its the only way you can begin the path to redemption. Your absolution shall start with the choice you make this day. Are you the man or the demon?"

Talia goes to leave, turning her back to Blüd, "Talia Al Ghul, daughter of the demon... how you have grown. ." the auburn-haired man smiles as he looks down to his pager, "You want to know why I moved to Gotham in the first place? This city has a golden rule: No heroes."

"Rules are made to be broken," Talia walks out of the office.

Blüd clamps his glabella, "Bunch of fools the damn lot of them"

* * *

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"Jim told me about the Goat once when he was drunk. He never talks about the incident that much other than that, he told me that they had to scrap the report to avoid another copycat. The exact details on the case were never disclosed to the public," Lee looks over the police report on the screen in front of her, "So your best bet is to get Jim and Harvey to give you the details... but I got a feeling that most likely won't be happening," she turns to the suiting up Bruce.

The billionaire clips his utility belt, "I don't really have a choice here. Gordon and Bullock are the only ones who know the specifics. Without their information, it's only a matter of time before the killer strikes again," he pulls up his cowl.

"Even if you talk to Jim, I doubt he would be of much help. You know how stubborn that man can be, just like you" Lee observes with a coy leer, "It says that the autopsy was performed at the morgue in Elliot Memorial, wow look at that... your old friend Tommy was the one who performed it. Let's hope he's pro-Batman"

"Friend is a stretch of the word."

"How come?"

"Back when I was a kid, a beat him down using my father's watch as knuckle dusters... and when we did get along... I was going through my angst phase," Batman tightens the grips around his gauntlets, "He comes from a part of me that I'm all too happy to forget"

"Selina has some more colourful words for that angst phase of yours," Lee smiles, "Hold on... now that I think of it, didn't Tommy just come back from a trip abroad a few months back? Maybe he went off to some soul searching of his own?"

"Keep at your station. I'm going to investigate," Batman walks towards the set of metal stairs and towards the Batmobile.

"Fine!" Lee spins in her chair and holds her hands in her lap, "I'm not exactly in a hurry to get back to my dysfunctional marriage"

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

Selina and Barbara Lee walk into the living room, throwing their bags onto the floor, "Alright kiddo... you know the drill, homework, then bed." The girl sprints off and out of the room, heading to her bedroom. Selina stretches her arms, "Barb! You here?" she looks out for the mother of the girl, not seeing any sign of her. Her body then shivers at a cold breeze. She follows the lingering draught until she stood in the kitchen, looking at an opened window. One she knew wasn't open when she left before.

She reaches for one of the drawers and pulls it open. Selina picks out the handgun hidden that was concealed by a piece of cloth that was wrapped around it. She walks out into the living room, holding the gun behind her back. She nimbly tiptoes to into the hallway towards Barbara Lee's room, "Barbara! Are you alright?." She pushes open the door and walks into the room. She spots the girl sat on her bed, her attention was drawn to Barbara being distracted by the homework along with headphones over her ears.

Selina sighs in relief, she then makes extra effort to hide the gun from the girl's view. The girl turns her attention away from the sheets of work piled in her lap and to the woman standing at the door. Barbara Lee removes the headphones and rests them on her shoulders, "You okay, Aunt Selina?"

"Peachy," the dark-haired woman smiles.

The girl returns with a smile of her own, one that quickly fades as she screams, "Behind you!". Selina turns around and is tackled to the ground by a large man that is wearing a leather mask with horns. He straddles her as shoves a chloroform-soaked cloth to her mouth. Selina takes the gun that she is holding and fires it, without hesitation. Ramming a bullet up through the man's neck and out through the back of his head. The Goat rolls off of Selina, pouring blood all over the woman's face and chest.

Selina gasps, feeling disorientated, exhausted and sluggish. Her vision was darkening, the world around her was spinning. The sound she hears became more prolonged and stretched, soon losing any possible comprehension, "Selina?" Barbara Lee rushes to the woman's aid.

"F-Fine. Call the police!" Selina gasps, making the most out of somewhat lacking state. The girl dashes to the door but stops as she is loomed over by another masked man. The second Goat grabs the girl's collar and drags her along. He makes his way to stand over Selina's drowsy body.

"Selina Falcone... you will be cleansed" the Goat announces among the cries of the girl in his hold. Another Goat enters the room and looks down to Selina, "The Goat lets no blight out of their sights. Judgement shall be passed! Take the girl too!"

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital**

**\- Morgue -**

The room was lit in a cold blue hue, freezing to the touch. The icy atmosphere of the room makes one's own breath visible. Tommy Elliot, a man of 6'2", centre-parted hair in a fringe just below his eyes. He overlooks the now empty metal table as he pulls his gloves off. His move up, looking over to the freezer which held the bodies. He then sees a shadow begin to loom over him from behind, one that had a pair of pointy ears. He turns on his heels and is greeted to Batman who stands three yards away.

"You're not supposed to be in here," Tommy slurs, seeing the vigilante remain still.

"**Someone posing as the goat killed a girl last night and you performed the autopsy on her. I want your records... now!" **

"That's impossible. Those cops took it before I could store it." Elliot answers the dark knight, "They said that they didn't want that information being leaked to public"

"**What about the** **body?**"

"Still here but I can't let you mess with it. Your interference could contaminate any unfound evidence on her" the surgeon sees the Dark Knight approach him with a glare. The vigilante trudges across the cold tile floor, his footsteps echoing through the room.

"**Try to stop me**," Batman challenges as he barges past the man and makes his way to the freezer. He pulls at the latch of the last one and drags it open, bringing the concealed body out into the open. He pulls the sheet down to the woman's collarbones. He taps the side of his cowl; changing his vision to X-ray, showing him the woman's skeletal structure. Tommy Elliot steps closer and looks over the vigilante's shoulder, "**Minor head trauma to the back of the skull, likely caused a blunt object swung down. Judging from the indent it points to the blunt end of a common work hammer**"

"Hm. Good guess," Elliot comments.

"**I don't guess**," Batman spots something. He carefully moves his armoured hands to the woman's neck and turns it to give him a closer look at the back of her skull, "**An incision was made here. Hasn't scared yet so must have been made in the past 12 hours. Looks to be the work of an eight-inch scalpel blade**" Batman lifts his palm over the woman's neck, a faint violet glow emits from his digits, "**Traces of copper, like a penny"**

"H-how did you deduce that?"

"**Give me the report on this case,**" Batman turns to face Tommy.

"As I said, I can't. Those two cops took it"

"**Not the one in your head. I want every detail, everything. I'm the only person that can stop the Goat before he kills again"** Batman tells the other man. Tommy blows a strand of hair from his fringe, slivering his hands onto his hips.

"Can't believe I'm trusting you more than the actual cops... I got a photographic memory. I can give you everything that you need."

* * *

**\- Elsewhere - **

"I just can't believe that she's gone... what kind of monster would want to hurt my little girl..." an elderly woman cries. She sits on the couch in a lavish room full of ornaments. Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock stand in front of her, looking over the woman, "My poor Rachael... who would do such a thing?"

Gordon looks over her, witnessing the pain in her eyes. He realizes she was suffering the loss of her own child, an agony he never wants to feel. He can see that she was devastated, broken and shook to her very core. "I know that you are going through a lot... and I cannot imagine the pain you are in right now but we need your help. We need you to run through a few questions with us, do you think that you are up for it?" Jim understandably knows that the woman wouldn't be in the right mindset, nor feel up to dwelling on the pain of losing her child.

"Ma'am... I know that you are living a parent's worse nightmare, but please... without your help... a lot of other kids could lose their lives..." Bullock frailly supports the mother, "If you need more time than we'll leave you be... but every second we waste, is another where some poor innocent child could be ending up the next victim"

"- Okay... whatever you need, officers" the woman nods, her eyes watering with her makeup melting away. She wipes her eyes with a scrunch up piece of tissue.

Jim begins, "Was anyone connected to Rachael seeking treatment from a shrink? Maybe undergoing hypnoses as a form of therapy?"

"What?" the woman asks.

"We are going to need you to be clear with us" Harvey scratches his chin.

The woman takes a moment to think over the commissioner's question, before coming to an unsure look, "Her father went to a specialist after a near-death experience. But he never managed to overcome his trauma. He put himself six feet under"

"Hold on..." Jim looks to Harvey and grabs his shoulder, "I just thought of something." He looks back to the woman, "Excuse us for a moment, please." Jim and Harvey walk out of the room to leave her in peace. The two men make their way towards the doors to the house.

"Jim? What's got you suddenly spooked?" Harvey questions as he sees the worry on his partner's face.

"It's not a copycat. Whoever is behind this doesn't know all the details..." Gordon puts his hands on his hips, "Rachael was taken from the streets. Dr Marks always had the kids kidnapped from their homes. Whoever took Rachael didn't have a set of keys to this house..., no one in the family is seeing a shrink either"

"I'm not following you here, Jim" Harvey perplexes.

"Think about it, Harv. Whoever did this... got the coin right, got the cause of death being asphyxiation right, they got the ritual down... the three most kept secrets of this case... but not having keys to their victims' homes?," Gordon explains, "They got the rest right... and simple guess work couldn't possibly get that lucky... they needed to have information on the case, they had too. There is no other way... but then why didn't they get the keys and shrink down?"

"Maybe they didn't want to get caught?" Bullock sallies.

"Then why would they go through all the effort of recreating a crime that we already solved? No... this has to be something more," Gordon was stopped mid-thought as he heard his phone ring. He pulls it out from his coat and answers it, "Harper? You did?," he turns to Bullock, "We got a suspect"

* * *

**Bat-Bunker **

Lee's eyes over the report, "I now can see why Jim didn't even share all the details with me. This is beyond evil," she looks over her shoulder to the vigilante to operated the terminal next to her. Bruce stands with the cowl pulled down. His eyes look on the screen, searching through the files. The doctor's eyes fixated on the photo of the wounds of Rachael Dawe, every little detail. The cut at the back of her neck, her now snow-like skin and pale lips and shrunken eyes, "Rest her soul..."

"Save your concern for the people who need it."

Lee rests her chin on her right hand, pressing her elbow on the table, "A girl was just murdered, I think that is justly deserving of our sympathies."

"And if we don't get our act together, there will be a lot more innocent lives taken... unless we can find out who did this," Bruce looks over to Lee, "We are on a timer here, the Goat is probably prepping for his next victim. That's who needs our sympathy, not someone who we couldn't save"

"Fine. Whatever you say. Just how are you planning to find the bastard who did it?," Lee stands up, "This whole thing would be a whole lot easier if Lucius was here. Wasn't he supposed to be here by now?"

"He's running point on something for me" the man lies.

"Something more important than catching a child killer?" Lee disputes.

"I didn't really account for a situation like this to arise. Even if he was... in distance of a phone, I doubt he would help us make progress with this. He works best with technology, not the criminal mind," Bruce sees the disproval on Leslie's face.

Lee begins to say something but is distracted by the abrupt alert that came from the Batcomputer. She inches closer and ganders over the screen, "Look at that. Looks like the GCPD actually did their jobs for a change... they have a suspect in custody... oh..." Lee holds her hands over her mouth as her eyes see the image of a blonde man with green eyes, "Trevor?"

"Who?"

"Steve Trevor. He's a high-ranking Checkmate officer... why would he do such a thing?"

"Because he didn't" Bruce too takes a close look at the man's likeness, "This says that he's right-handed. The impact of the hammer indicated someone left-handed"

"He could have just used the wrong hand to throw the cops off him," Lee argues.

"Normally in a high-stress encounter, one's own instincts take over. I doubt he would have the foresight to use the wrong hand and somehow make a clean shot like he did" Bruce folds his arms and looks throughout the feed, "It says that they bagged him on a DNA match from skin found under the victim's nails."

"That places him at the scene, doesn't it?"

"The vigilante faces Lee once more, "It means he and Dawe had a confrontation but doesn't confirm he's the culprit that inflicted the blunt trauma."

"Are you trying to tell me that you think there are two copycats?"

"If we're lucky, then yes. But Gotham isn't known for being the city of luck." Bruce sets up an algorithm through the Batcomputer, "The goat goes after the firstborn of the elite families. All we have to do is figure out who the next target could be..."

"Then you find where the goat's going to be" Lee nods, "There shouldn't be that many to choose from. Most of the wealthy got the hell out of dodge the moment Checkmate broadened its presence all throughout the city. Besides yours, there is only one elite family that I can think of, and that would be...," the woman stops her thoughts. She comes to concluding the next likely candidate for being the goat's victims. Bruce shares the same grimace look, one that made them understand they both knew who the other was thinking of.

"Sofia Falcone," the pair say in unison.

* * *

**GCPD Precinct**

**\- Interrogation Room -**

Steve Trevor sits with his wrists cuffed to the table. The room was silent, disturbingly so. The silence was accentuated by the fast ticking of the clock hung up above the door to the room. The man sits, barely making whispers for minutes on end as the clock kept going; making the whole ordeal much more unbearable. His attention was brought below the clock and to the door, as someone enters the room. Jim Gordon sees the confused look coming from the man before him as he sloths his way to the table.

"Gordon, right? You mind telling just what the hell this is about?" Trevor firms his posture as he slivers his arms on the table.

"It's Steve Trevor Jr, isn't it?" Jim pulls out the other chair. He turns it around and straddles it and drops a plastic bag onto the table. He hangs his arms off the top of the chair, "We have some questions that you would really want to answer honestly"

"*We?*," Steve turns to face the one-way-mirror, "Weren't you assigned to that murder case earlier today?"

"Precisely why you're here," Jim picks at the evidence bag and slides it over to Steven's side, "Where were you last night between the hours of 2 and 5 AM?"

"Wait... you think I'm a suspect?" the blond man gasps, "You realize how preposterous that sounds?"

"Answer the question. And think carefully before you answer..." Gordon's eyes sloop down to the evidence bag, "We picked out skin fragments belonging to you from under the victim's nails... you care to explain how they got there?"

"What?" the blond man bites his lip, "I don't know. I never even seen that girl before this morning."

"So... your skin just happened to magically appear under her nails? Now do you see how preposterous that sounds?," the commissioner firms his eyebrows, "Right now, we got you dead to rights. Your DNA places you at the scene and as the murder suspect... so you better start talking if you know something," Gordon inches over, "Between the hours of 2 and 5 AM... where were you?"

"I don't know" the interrogatee answers unsure of himself, "I was on patrol one minute... and then I woke up in my bed. I'm telling you the truth, I swear"

"And you didn't think twice about all those lost hours?" Gordon humours the blond man.

"This gig doesn't come with the kindest of hours... most of my squad were beyond exhausted. We were all on duty for over thirty-two hours without any breaks. Most of us don't remember what happened last week after..." Steve Trevor pauses.

"*After* what?" the Commissioner asks.

"We were ambushed. By these masked men... and this... woman..."

"What woman? What did she look like?"

"It's fuzzy... but I can remember anyone who looks like that...," Steve swallows his saliva, "She was blonde, I think. A pale white face... and crazy... I don't remember anything else other than that, I swear that is all that I remember." The commissioner looks down to Steve's hands; the left was clenching into a fist. Jim's eyes then crawl up the man's body until he reaches his eyes.

"Your fist. You're clenching it," Gordon states which cause Trevor confusion as he looks down at his hand.

"I am? I didn't even realize... it's been like that since that night. The rest of the guys think it was the trauma causing it, it happens to us all at random." Steve explains. His words work to bring about a new sense of terror in Gordon's features. Jim's skin crawls and a shiver moves through his spine.

"How many are on your unit?" Gordon eerily asks.

"Umm... including me: seven," Steve replies.

Gordon rushes out of the room and joins Harvey and Harper on the clear side of the mirror, "Put out a city-wide BOLO on all members of the unit. I was wrong. This isn't a copycat... it's more than just one. We could be facing over a half-dozen goats in the city..." Jim keeps his eyes on the other two officers.

"On it. Keep me in the loop," Harper leaves the two men.

"Hey, Jim..." Bullock drops his hands to his hips, "We need to be real here. If there are that many Goats in the city... then maybe the answer is going after the man behind the curtain. Just like before, there has to be some kind of mastermind pulling their strings"

"Too risky. We can't afford to allocate time and resources to that when there are six possible murderers out in the open. Once we have them in our custody, then we can go after the person behind this," Jim folds his arms and looks at the one-way-mirror to the man cuffed to the interrogation table, "Get Alvarez to keep watch over him."

"And what's our next move going to be?" Harvey ruffles his beard.

"Waller said to *do whatever it takes,* I say we take her up on that offer," Gordon answers. The radio around his waist goes static as a voice begins to speak through.

"_134 reported at 14 Coventry Square - requesting any available units_"

"Jim isn't that...?"

"Barbara's place..."

* * *

**\- Meanwhile -**

**Skyline Club**

Sofia Falcone sits on a leather conference chair. Hunched over as her face is illuminated by the radiating glow coming from the screen of the laptop in front of her. The office was dimly lit with blue and green hues emanating from the suspended linear low-lit lights above her. Her chin rests on her palm as her right index finger slowly scrolls down the mouse pad. Her consciousness waves across from her and to the double door that separates the room from the hallway. From outside the room, a barrage of bullets could be heard firing, momentarily lighting up the cracks under the double door for Sofia to see.

[Hallway]

The equally dimly lit hallway comprised of weak hues of blues was put on blast. Constant gunfire and screaming are echoed all throughout. Batman kicks a bald suited man down to the ground. The dark knight then runs towards the four other gun-carrying guards. He shields himself with both of his gauntlets to block the bullets as he charges at the firing men. Once he is close enough to one of the guards he removes his shielding. He left-hooks the goon across the jaw and follows up with an upper blow with his elbow to his chin with enough power to launch him off his feet.

Batman pulls out his Grapple Launcher and fires at the next guard's gun and yanks it out of their hold. Batman catches the weapon and throws it back at the owner, hitting his face and nose. The vigilante lunges forward and jumps on the wall and delivers a left hook to the second last guard to bring him down on the floor. Batman sees the last remaining conscious goon. His fingers were shaking over the trigger of his gun. He sweats nervously as Batman comes closer.

The guard drops the gun and backs off, slivering his back against the wall with his hands up, "Hey man, I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm covering for someone..."

Batman sends one unsightly glare to him, the man gets the message and runs off. Batman reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a Batarang. He throws it at the corner of the wall. The Batarang bounces off and speeds at the running guard and hits him in the back of the head. The guard falls onto the ground as the gadget flies back into the dark knight's grip. He returns it to his utility belt as he walks towards the door. He bends his knee up and kicks at the door.

The doors spring open and Batman walks into the room, his eyes instantly land upon Sofia who holds a handgun pointing at his chest, "Titanium rounds, curtesy of Floyd Lawton. Rumour is that it can penetrate that fancy little suit of yours," she grins, strangely seemingly amused by the vigilante's presence. She presses the trigger and fires at the man's chest. Her expression turns to shock as the bullet impacts off of the man's chest and drops to the floor.

"**Didn't work then, doesn't work now. I'm the one who put Deadshot in Blackgate, he tried that trick before and I've made some upgrades since then**," Batman approaches Sofia.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," Sofia settles the handgun on the desk. She arches and crosses her arms with her lips stretching into a grin, "Long time no see... last time we were face to face was when you threw Zucco's ass out of the limo..."

"**You don't sound too bothered about that**" Batman remarks.

"Throwing Tony's ass out of a moving vehicle and crippling him? Honestly, I was contemplating doing it myself. I never did get the chance to show... my appreciation," Falcone laughs, "I got the feeling that you aren't here to *arrest me* right? Let me guess...," she taps her index finger against her cheek, "You're here working on the goat case. Timing matches and you must've figured that I would be the most likely candidate for his next damsel? I'm touched that you thought of me," she playfully presses her hand against her chest.

"**Your family is the only wealthy family in this city. You should have been his target**"

"I hear that Bruce Wayne got out of the city when shit started to hit the fan. So my family should be the only target, it makes sense... but the Goat hasn't taken a single attempt at me. I guess he must've been looking to another lass," the woman toys with the dark knight, "See you want to know something quite humouring? The goat goes after the firstborn in Gotham, but I wasn't born in this city. If my family is the only target... and I don't qualify for his little scheme... then who does?"

"**Don't even try it. I've done my research. You're the last member of your family. Your brother was killed and you murdered your** **father**," Batman's eyes glance over the woman, "**You are his one and only target**,"

"If your assessment was right then how come I was not the one The Goat took this night," Sofia takes glee in the sudden change in the dark knight's stoic expression, "I would figure that someone of your calibre would be keeping up with the news... guess I was wrong," she purrs her words, "The goat must know something that you don't. You best make post-haste if you hope to save that poor girl..., or would you rather bring me into GCPD custody? Your choice, Mr Hero" she takes pleasure at the man's new found conflict on his face. Sure she couldn't exactly see his whole face, but she could sense his turmoil.

"**I'll be back for you**" Batman turns his back to Sofia.

"I'm sure that you will... and I can't wait," she smirks as she crawls her hands across the desk. Batman expeditiously turns and throws a Batarang at Falcone's hand. The sharp weapon cuts into her hand and pins it against the desk. Sofia screams in agony as her other hand comes to try and pull it out, "AGH! YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Unphased by the woman's words, Batman walks out into the hallway.

_"I'm not going to lie, that's one occurrence of unneeded brutality that I'm absolutely okay with_," Lee's voice speaks to Bruce through the communicator.

"**Bring up the incident that she was talking about. We need information"**

_"Okay... damn this is a lot harder than Lucius makes it look... okay... oh no... The report was from Barbara's house... both Selina and Barbara Lee are missing"_

"**Selina?**" Batman trails off.

"_There's something else, Bruce. Remember that fancy little nightlight you set up - a great way to disprove the claims of you being a narcissist by the way, it was just turned on... and by my husband. Looks like you two have something worth joining forces for... I doubt Jim would set a trap for you when his daughter is in danger"_

"**I'm going"**

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Abandoned Warehouse **

Dark. Damp. Cold. Absolutely freezing.

Selina's emerald eyes flare as she notices that her arms and legs were shackled to an inhospitable metal tale, one so cold that it almost feels like it was burning her skin. Her mouth was gagged by a strip of black tape and her body was numb. She picks up the sounds of crying coming from across her. She recognized the sound and the voice. She knew it was Barbara Lee and for the love God, she hoped that the girl wasn't put in the same position as her. She then hears loud footsteps approaching her.

And as feared, the masked man was now standing over her, arching down to come closer. His unclean hands sliver up her neck and to the gaga. He rips it out and tilts his head, "YOU CRAZY BASTARD! I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!," the woman screams. The man in the leather horned mask brushes his finger against Selina's lips and shushes her in an overdrawn whisper.

"Selina Falcone... you will be cleansed. You shall feel the wrath of the goat..."

"The only thing I am going to be feeling... is your blood on my fist! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

"Not yet. The goat demands punishment... the goat's calls never go unanswered..."

* * *

**\- GCPD Precinct -**

**Rooftop **

"Waller is going to blow a fuse when she finds out that we did this," Bullock comments as both he and Gordon look up into the darkened sky and sees the faint sight a bat up above among the clouds, "I'm just hoping for him to actually show up to make the whole incoming shitshow worth it," he adjusts his hat.

"I don't care. I'm not losing my daughter," Gordon's eyes tense, "C'mon... please...," the man whispers, almost breaking down as he drags his breath. Jim and Harvey keep their eyes trained on the faint bat-shape up in the clouds, unaware of a looming figure from behind. Gordon couldn't explain it, but somehow he knew he was there. He didn't hear or see anything that would have given it away. Instead, his instincts altered him to the other man's presence.

Even though he was aware of the vigilante, something stopped him from being able to face him. Shame? Regret? Anger? He could decide, he couldn't pinpoint the reason why his body refused to look at the man. Gordon drops his head, "I know we've been at odds recently. I know that you have every reason to hate me, trust me I know that me working for Waller is me basically being an accomplice to her crimes... but I'm asking you... I'm begging you... please, please... save my daughter..."

Harvey chose to stay out of the two's way. He figured he had no place in it.

The commissioner continues, "She's the only good thing I've done. She doesn't deserve to have a man like me as her farther... she deserves someone who can't be corrupted, who isn't ruled by their own selfishness... all this? I didn't want to help Waller... the reason why I chose to go along with it is that she threatened my family... Barbara, Lee,... My baby girl... Waller has the power to rip them away from me... she'll make it so that I'll never see my girl again... please... bring her home safe... if not for me, then her own sake..."

Batman watches in silence from within the confines of the shadows. His bright white eyes breaking through the dark and to the commissioner. The vigilante hangs his head in shame as he hears Gordon spill his emotions, "We have every you need here...," Gordon clenches hold a folder, "Please...," Batman saunters through the darkness and reaches out for the folder. Gordon holds it behind his back and feels the vigilante take it from him, "I can't even look at you with that I've done..."

"**Because you've still have a conscience, Jim. You're a good man in a difficult position, no matter what you do... you feel like someone you care about is going to get hurt. Trust me, I know exactly how that feels...**" Batman turns away and begins to walk off.

"You're going to save my daughter?" Gordon asks, his voice shaking.

"**No..., We're going to save** **her**..."

Gordon's eyes relax and soften their gaze, "My daughter... she adores you. She thinks that you're way more of a hero than I could even be... I understand why now...," growing enough courage, he finally manages to turn and look at the Dark Knight, "There's more than one Goat, intel points to around five still active. One of the suspects has a pacemaker, we used that to track him to a warehouse near the edge of the narrows... it's the best hope in finding my girl"

"**Then let's gone... we haven't got time to lose...,**" Batman nods.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Abandoned Warehouse **

"... The goat is forever grateful for your sacrifice my precious..." the Goat caresses Selina's cheek. She pulls her head away from the masked man's icy-touch.

"You have me... that's fine... but why... why did you take the girl too? What kind of sicko are you...," Selina snarls.

"The goat told us so... we do what the goat asks of us..." the masked man tells the woman as four more men surround the table, all wearing the same mask, "The goat needs blood, it's starving for cleansing... it needs your life... you'll see... everyone eventually surrenders to the goat... tis is just its all mighty power...," he slivers his hands up her neck and returns the gag over her mouth. Selina convulses and the Goat forces the, "Long live the goat..."

Muffled screams coming from the corner of the room, Barbara Lee screams through the tape around her mouth. Her eyes watering and body shaking at the horror that was unfolding right in front of her. She fights against the chains binding her.

"Long live the goat!" the five masked men chant over and over, their voice rising with each chant. They lift their arms up, curving their elbows, "Long live the goat, long live the goat, long live the-," the five men stop as they hear a gruff voice from high above to the support beams.

"**Close your** **eyes!**" Batman calls down to Selina which she follows. The Dark Knight hurls a Batarang down onto the ground next to the table. The gadget had blue indents on the edge of the wings. Barbara also follows the man's order. She lifts her arms and shields her eyes. The Batarang explodes, sending the whole room into a pure white flash with an ear-breaking bag. The five mask men all stop, panicking and running away, their vision and hearing distorted.

The Dark Knight drops down from the scaffolding, his cape expanding and easing his descent. He takes two dual Batarangs and throws them at opposite sides of the room, hitting them against the walls and making them ricochet off and hitting two of the masked man in the upper back. The two were thrown forward onto the ground. The doors to the room were kicked open and both Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock barge in, weapons held high, "GCPD! HANDS UP IN THE AIR!"

Bullock blocks the path of one of the masked men and hits him to the ground. He braces his knuckles and hisses, "God damn that hurt." Batman grabs the Batclaw from the side of his utility belt and aims it at another Goat. He launches the tether at his target. The claw at the end latches on to the front of the man's blue jumpsuit. Batman pulls on the line and propels the goat back to him. He curves his arm, bending it back and grabs at the incoming's man collar. He throws him forward onto the ground in a chokeslam.

From the corner of the room, Barbara Lee looks up in amazement at the vigilante. Her eyes widening as she studies his moves. She sees her father run towards her. He kneels down and removes the tap from her mouth. He swings his arms around his daughter and comforts. He runs his hand through the back of the girl's hair, "It's alright. It's alright... you're alright... you're safe...," he then notices his daughter's current state, one that unnerved him.

She wasn't scared. She is not frightened or even showing the faintest signs of being afraid. Barbara was just standing there, not even paying attention to him, her own father. Instead, her eyes were drawn upon the vigilante. Batman makes his way towards the table and unlocks the shackles around Selina's limbs. He uses the fins on his gauntlets to cut through the rest the chains in once quick swipe down the woman, a couple centimetres above her chest.

Selina throws herself up, swinging her legs around the table and without thinking she brings her arms around the man's shoulder and takes him into an embrace. Her rests her head over the man's shoulder. The armour was unconformable, but Selina didn't want to pull away. She kept tightening her hold around Batman as her tears soak the shoulder plates of the man's armour as well the collar around the back of his neck that connects to his cape.

"You... You actually came... you actually came for me...," Selina tears as she trembles her own words in a way that made her sound surprised that the vigilante saved her. She nuzzles her nose against the vigilante's collar and his neck guard, "I... I thought that I was going to die..."

"**You're going to be alright,** **Miss**," Batman tells the woman embracing him. It killed him but Bruce had to treat her like a stranger in front of Jim and Harvey. He wished that he could be Bruce for her at the moment but he couldn't risk exposing his identity to the to cops. He pulls away from Selina's hold and spots the last goat was making a break for it and escapes the room. The leather masked man had managed to throw Bullock onto the ground which gave him a clean getaway.

Jim chases after the last Goat, running out of the room and out into the storage area. The hall was reprised as almost a hedge maze with the shelves taking the purpose of the blockades. Gordon sprints after him, venting harsh breaths and throwing his arms with his quick movement. The commissioner follows the man around the corners of the shelf, suddenly losing sight of him. His eyes look around him, discovering that he surrounded by stacks of cardboard boxes.

Jim tightens the grip on his handgun, lifting his gaze to follow its line of sight, "Come on out with your hands in the air!."

Back inside the room with Selina and Barbara. Batman stands next to Selina, "Go!" she encourages him. The vigilante nods and then darts after both Jim and the last Goat. The dark-haired woman holds her hand over her shoulder and curves her neck. Across from her, Barbara Lee crawls across the ground and picks up one of the Batarangs left behind by the vigilante. She turns it around, observing all of its details. Her eyes enlarge, fully reflecting the object in her gaze.

In the storage room, Gordon continues his pursuit after the goat, "This is your last chance. Come out with your-," he is thrown to the ground as the Goat barges through a stack of boxes, drowning the commissioner in the units. The Goat stands over Jim as he creepily tilts his neck. He grips the handle of the hammer and lifts it over the man.

"You can't stop the Goat... he shall always live! Even when we die, he will live once more someday... The goat's judgment shall always prevail... you cannot stop it, you can never stop it!," the Goat swings the hammer up and veers it down towards the Commissioner. Gordon gathers all of his strength and rolls the boxes off of him. He rolls over and avoids the end of the hammer. The weapon instead breaks into the boxes. Jim jumps to his feet and right hooks the Goat.

The masked man is launched back into the crate of boxes, breaking them on impact. Gordon eases his breath and picks up his gun, "It looks like you were just stopped," he returns his weapon to his holster. Jim turns and sees the vigilante standing more than a yard away. His cape swerves and his head is hung low. Commissioner Gordon gives the dark knight a coy smile, "You saved my daughter's life, I am in your debt but this can't continue. This is the last time that we can work together... I hope that you will understand. Waller still has the power over my family..."

"**As you said, this was for your daughter, not** **you**," Batman grabs his Grapple Launcher and aims it up, "**Do what you believe it right, Jim. I'll be doing the same**," the dark knight launches upward and into the darkness above. Gordon looks away as his whole posture becomes weak. Guilt washes over him like a new layer of paint. He makes his way back to the room with his daughter.

* * *

**\- Skyline Club -**

Sofia Falcone looks down to her bandaged hand, her eyes full of fury that was all directed towards the man who caused her the injury. She clenches the hand into a fist and her eyes narrow, "I am going to rip him limb from limb..." she says under her breath. She turns towards the double doors to her office as they were opened. She sees a man walk into the office. The man was white with slicked-back brown hair. He's dressed in a black shirt with the collar under, a brown Victorian-styled waistcoat with a Victorian black tailcoat.

One of his more noticeable part of his look came in the form a scar over his left eye. Vandal Savage smirks as he walks towards Sofia with his hands in the pockets of his tailcoat, "Pardon the intrusion but a little birdie told me of your late-night visitor"

"Don't tell me that you came all this way just to check on lil old me? I'm flattered. Why don't you cut the shit and just tell me why you're here" Sofia titters.

Vandal Savage smirks, clearly amused with Sofia's attitude, "I trust that your vendetta against Batman won't get in the way of your part? It would be such a shame if you let your pride blind you from your true purpose," he asks, already knowing what the woman would answer with.

"If you are of the mindset that I would derail our plan... then you have no such concern to humour. But Batman has crossed me for the last time... he will die...," the woman glances down to her hand, "My biggest mistake has been letting him live for as long as he did..."

"And your next shall be going through this idea of yours to kill Batman..." Vandal saunters forward, "I've told you to not concern yourself with him. It would be a shame, if I am to discover that you went against my wishes... well... just remember that you are not irreplaceable."

"Maybe one day, I'll meet a man who will finally share a different sentiment from you and all the rest...," the woman playfully smirks, "It seems no matter when or where they are from, every man makes the same grave error of underestimating me..."

"An *error* is defined as a miscalculation... I'm afraid that my mind is not perceptible to human error. You're a stunning woman, you really are. You are at the top of this world... but never forget, all empires crumble eventually... it is just... human nature..." Savage reaches to the inner pockets of his tailcoat, "I've seen the rise and fall of every empire, eventually they all blur together... they become interchangeable with one another... they rise, they rule and then they fall... in the long term, history shall see you as no more than an ant, like the rest of your kind"

Sofia folds her arms over her chest, biting her lip, "Then tell me, what do you see me as?"

Vandal takes out a piece of folded paper from his overcoat and passes it to the woman, "Someone who shall have her place at my side, but first... to ease your troubles I shall grant your wish. It's time for you to lead this city's underworld, to rule over even Sionis. It's what you want the most," he smirks.

"And what would you have me do in exchange? My father taught me from an early age that a favour is just a debt you aren't yet aware of," Falcone takes the folded paper from the man.

"There's a particular item that I have come to be interested in. I need you to find it and deliver it to me. Do you believe that you can handle this?" he walks behind Sofia and slides his hands over her shoulders, "Do this and your place as Gotham's most feared crime lord shall be cemented into its very soil." Sofia unfolds the paper and sees an image of the item in question. Her eyes loom over it, her gaze souring. The man's palms snake down to her biceps and pats them, "Do not disappoint me."

Sofia's eyes stay on the picture. A curved knife with a golden hilt that has circular engravings.

* * *

**\- Beneath Wayne Tower -**

**Bat-Bunker **

Bruce pulls down his cowl, unclips his belt and drops it onto the workbench. Lee walks over to him and smiles, "What do you know, you just came back from a fight and I don't even need to patch you up, and here I was thinking this was a full-time job," she quips.

"It's not over yet," Bruce interjects, "We only caught the puppets... the puppeteer is still out in the city. Whoever is behind this, there is still a murder to answer for. Those men will have to live with knowing that they killed someone..."

"Poor guys. I hate those Checkmate goons, but no one should have to live with that," Lee emphasises. She reaches over and grabs her handbag, "I hate to bail on you, but I got a feeling that Jim is going to need a shoulder to lean on. Tell Lucius that he missed quite the mystery while he was away," she gives one last smile before she heads to the elevator, "Oh one more thing. You missed a call, That girl you were with earlier called...,Talia, right? She said it was urgent."

"Take care, Lee..." Bruce sends a weak smile in Lee's direction.

"This coming from the man that I've literally sewn back together?" Lee simpers as she steps into the elevator, "Have an easy one, Bruce," the doors close on her gleeful look towards the man. Bruce drops his smile and returns to his regular brooding. He reaches back for his utility belt. He pauses his monition when he hears ring from the side. He picks it up and answers it. His posture relaxes when he hears the familiar and calming voice speak to him.

"I'll be right there" he says to the person on the other end of the call.

[**Later**]

Bruce, dressed in a white shirt with the collar unbuttoned, back jacket walks through the skirts of the railings that lead out to the river. He moves with the assistance of the cane. His eyes focus on a woman not too far up ahead of him. Selina leans over the railing, using her arms under her chest for support. She's dressed in an A-line dark purple dress, knee-high laced-up black boots and a black frock coat. She turns to see Bruce coming closer to her, eyes instantly go to the cane which he was using.

It was cold, would have been the understatement of the century. Though winter had passed and the city was now into spring, it was just as cold as ever. The snow had stopped claiming the city but it was just as cold. Selina could see both her own and Bruce's breaths. The billionaire walks up to her and wraps his left hand around the railing bar next to him. Selina eyes the man from head to toe, "What's with the third leg? You seemed fine earlier"

"Lucius upgraded the Batsuit with more support. Outside of it, I can barely stand straight"

"Listen... we need to talk," Selina raises his head to look up the man, "I know things between us have been... well not exactly good. I just want you to know that I appreciate what you did today. For both me and Barbara Lee. Thank you"

"Call me sceptical but I don't think that you would come all the way out here just to thank me, you are aware that you could have done that over the phone, right?" Bruce rests the cane against the railing. He turns towards the river and rests his arms over the bars. He looks to the night sky. He sees the bright moon along with the stars, "I just wish that I got there sooner... it seems both you and the kid went through a lot back there, I'm sorry I was late"

"There you go against, Bruce..." Selina runs her hand over the railing and cups her hand over Bruce's, "You're always beating yourself up. You are never pleased or happy with the good you do, you somehow always find a way to make a failure out of any victory. You need to learn to cut yourself some slack... you were a hero today"

Bruce's turn from the beauty of the moon to an even more beautiful sight, his eyes gaze to Selina's face that was lit by the moon. Her eyes were almost sparkling in his mind, "Selina... why did the Goat come after you? His M.O is to kill the firstborn of the elite... why would he think that you were that?"

Selina shrugs at the man's question, "I'm just as confused as you are. C'mon, Bruce... you know me. My Mother is the furthest thing from *elite* and my real dad is long gone," she lies, hoping to convince the man of her tattles. Then it happened, she too came to be fixated on Bruce's face, the way the moonlight exenterate all his features and his eyes. Her hand tightens around Bruce's, "Whatever the reason... I know that you'll figure it out... you are the *world's greatest detective* after all"

"Oh, not that..." Bruce lifts his head back and laughs, "First Alfred, Lucius and now you? I know I like to be a know-it-all, but c'mon... I'm not that bad"

"Keep telling yourself that, Mr *I can tell which way the robber went by sensing the change of direction in the wind*," Selina shares her own laugh.

"Alfred told you that?" Bruce smiles.

"Mhm," Selina smiles too.

"Okay first, I was using a modified AR in my cowl to track fragments of the alcohol he drank, second the change in wind actually made the whole ordeal even harder...," the man adds, "And third, I'm not *the world's greatest detective*, that honour goes to a chimpanzee who wears a deerstalker hat and has a magnifying glass"

"A Detective Monkey? You make me laugh...," Selina giggles.

"He prefers Detective Chimp, he goes bananas when he's called a monkey..." Bruce stops when he once against focuses on Selina's moonlit features. Selina does the same, almost being drawn to him. Not another word was spoken between them. They inch closer and connect their lips under the moonlight. Selina wraps her arms around the man's neck and Bruce drops his hands to Selina's hips. They deepen the kiss, inching closer to each other.

The moment was ruined when Selina's phone alerts her. Now drawn out of her trance, she breaks away from Bruce and looks at her phone, "It's Barbara... Kean obviously, she needs me back at the house...," she was clearly broken over their moment ending. Bruce agrees as he grabs his cane. Selina pouts when she sees the man ready to leave, "Bruce, I don't what just happened between us just now... but I liked it. I know that you did too..."

"Yeah... it was amazing"

"We did this before, Bruce. It's always too good to be true... I'm not letting myself be hurt like that again...," Selina returns her phone to her coat, "I love you, Bruce. But that's just the thing... you haven't been Bruce for a long time... we both know that you're just the bat."

"I've always loved you, Selina... that hasn't changed..." Bruce tells the woman.

"Then maybe it should, Bruce. If you do love me... then let me go..." Selina holds back her tears as she turns her back on Bruce. She starts to walk away from him, clinging to the side of the railings. Bruce whimpers the woman's name, barely audible to anyone beside him. He hears his phone go off again, in the worst time imaginable. He takes it out of his front pocket and flips it open: it was a message from Talia, one that is telling him to come to his own office.

"That's the difference between us, Bruce..." Selina stops in her tracks, "My version of an emergency is having a friend I need of help, yours is trying to stop the whole world from falling apart. I can't be with someone who can save the world at the drop of a hat but can't save themselves...," Selina begins her path away from Bruce once more. Bruce watches in silence as she eventually becomes nothing more than just a dot among the city from afar.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Barbara Kean sits over the bed as she strokes her daughter's hair. She smiles down to her, "You're home now. Just try to get some sleep... if you need anything don't be afraid to give a shout, okay?". She sees the girl smile. The redhead returns the gesture. She leans over and kisses Barbara's Lee forehead, "Good night." She moves her arms across and pulls the bedsheets over the girl. Barbara Kean stands and heads to walk out of the room. She looks back to her girl while she closes the door behind herself.

Turning her head, she sees Gordon standing beside the wall. His head hanging low and his arms folded over, "Is she okay?" he asks sincerely. Barbara glares at him and leads him away and into the living room. She stands in front of him as she turns, her scowl landing right on him.

"She seems like she is going to be," Barbara answers, "She doesn't even look like she's scared, Jim. I remember what that monster took her before... she had nightmares for months. But now... she doesn't even seem phased by what happened today"

"Go on... say it, Barb" Jim lifts his chin.

"Say what?" the woman ganders, knowing what Gordon was eluding to.

"How this is my fault? How could I let this happen? That I should have been there for her? I have been thinking the same thing on my way here," the commissioner admits. He sees no change in Barbara's expression, proving to him that she was already blaming him.

"You are her father, Jim. You should have been the one she looks to, you should be the one that's there for her when she needs you, you should know to drop everything and come for her. I would happily tear this whole city apart for my baby girl... but you?," tears begin to drip from her eyes, "You barely see her as it is. I give you every opportunity to see her... YOUR DAUGHTER... and you decided to go after purse-snatchers? I don't know what is going on with you... but you're like a completely different person, Jim..."

"Barbara... I want to be there for her, of course, I do. She's the most important thing in the world to me..." Jim laments.

Barbara shakes nervously. Throwing her gaze to the man's own eyes, "I remember when I was that to you... and look what happened. We were torn apart. Your lies, upon lies... I don't want my daughter seeing you like that...," she takes a step towards him, "After she was born, I agreed to let you be in her life to be something that I couldn't be, someone who she could look up to. You were supposed to that for her, you were meant to be her father, a hero to her..."

"I know... and I'm trying Barb... I really am. But things are going on that I can't tell you about, things that put you, my daughter and everyone I love in danger..."

Barbara's eyes soften, "I believe you, Jim. But we've done this dance before and we both know how it ends. Take your secrets and leave... secrets between us only cause harm... and I'm not letting my daughter getting caught in the crossfire..."

"What are you saying?" Gordon asks. His heartbroken voice portrays his hurt.

"I don't want you seeing her anymore, Jim. She deserves someone better to look up to," Barbara's eyes tremble at the reddening eyes of the commissioner, "We've gotten to a point where Barbara looks up to a nutjob in a Halloween costume more than you? Do you realize how heart-breaking that is? With my past, I can never be her true role model, you aren't even trying... so she turned to Batman... that is beyond humiliating...," she wipes her eyes, "She chose him over her own parents."

"... Can I say goodbye to her?" Jim asks as he tries to hold back his tears.

"Once I can trust you again... you'll be able to see her. If you really do care about our girl... then *goodbyes* won't be needed," the redhead weeps at her own words, her breathing spikes, "I hope that the man I loved all those years ago is still in you... for her sake..."

Back inside Barbara Lee's room, the girl emerges from her bed covers. She sits up and pushes herself up on her feet. Her ears hear the faint sounds of her parents talking, all the hurt and pain in their voices. She kneels beside her bed and reaches under it. She takes out an old shoebox and opens it. Barbara takes out the Batarang and marvels at it. Her index finger taps against the sharp edges. From afar, the light in her room augmented her shadow.

The curtains over the bedroom window and the line of crayons stacked in the pot on her nightstand gave her shadow what looks to be a cape and a pair of pointy ears. As a soft breeze moves through the city, the curtains slowly swerve which gives the *cape* of her shadow the same motion. The girl couldn't help but maintain her eyes on the Batarang as she twists and turns it, taking in every detail she could, no matter how obsolete it appeared.

* * *

**\- Wayne Tower -**

**Bruce's Office**

The late of the night brought about an emptiness to the floor. Bruce comes to be the one and only person on the level, which works for his cover. He stands behind his desk, glancing over to a photo frame. The image of his parents and his younger self stares back at him. He motion over to the door, seeing it open and Talia walks in. Bruce tilts his head as he sees the bright smile stretching on her face. She struts over, "You best begin to pack. We are going to need to make a move soon if we hope to reach Nanda Parbat in time"

"*We*? You're coming?."

"Well lucky you, you get us both," Talia looks behind her as Jason Blüd walks into view. The auburn-haired man walks into the office and stops when he reaches Bruce's desk, "We may disagree on a lot of things, but I'm not about to let my beloved go on a suicide mission. Plus you have a point, I may have done horrible to Whisper in the past. Before I met you, I could have lived with my guilty... but you've changed me. I must see this through to the end."

Bruce turns to Blüd, "I thought you were happy with being a coward?"

Jason removes his glasses and glares, "I've made plenty of mistakes in my time, but I won't let another man die because of me. I have already left enough destruction in my wake... this may be my last days on earth, and I don't want to spend them hiding," he looks over to Talia, "You should thank you, friend, here for reminding me of that."

"Thank you, the both you," Bruce nods, "This means a lot"

"I know it does," the daughter of the demon smiles.

"Enough of this lovey-dovey showcase. We best make haste, I believe the tunnels beneath the tower lead back to the mainland" Blüd puts his glasses back on, "Good work on the case by the way. I would've personally only taken a quarter of the time, but you got the job done in the end"

"How do you know about the tunnels?" Bruce asks.

"Magic" Blüd answers with wit to the dismissal of Bruce.

"We best not gander on such needless conversations, we need to get going" Talia reminds Bruce.

"Nanda Parbat... here we come"

* * *

**\- G.C.P.D Precinct -**

**\- Main Hall -**

"That sucks man, I'm sorry," Harvey Bullock sits on the desk while Jim sits slouched in one of the revolving chairs, "I can't imagine being forced to stop seeing your own child, especially one that I love more than anything." Gordon brings his hand over his eyes, "At least your girl is safe... that's a silver lining if I've ever seen one. No one would blame you if you chose to take an early night." Gordon holds his palms together and tangles his fingers.

"Not yet. The Goats were victims too, Harv. We need to be there when they wake, I just need to figure out an easy way of telling them what they did... they're sure going to full of guilt... that is if they're decent people," he attempts to smile to the best of his ability but he stops halfway through, realizing that he wouldn't be convicting anyone, "There's also the matter of the person who whammied those men. Trevor said something about a blonde woman with a powdered face, we need to start there."

"Jim, how do we know that that wasn't something those guys were *whammied* into thinking? It could have been anyone"

"Blonde hair, powdered face? That is way too out of the ordinary to be a red herring. It's worth looking into...," he stands from his chair, "I need something, anything to take my mind off my personal life right now. Even if that is chasing down a fake lead"

"Do whatever you need brother. Just try to get some sleep if you can. Just remember that you have a wife, Jim. Wasn't it one of your vows to share each other's troubles?" Harvey advises. Gordon grabs his coat from the side and throws it on.

"The last thing our marriage needs right now is more adversity. Please keep this between us, Harv. I don't want Lee to worry about me any more than she is"

"Commissioner James Gordon, stubborn as a mule," Bullock waves his hands, "They should make that into a shirt, that way people will know what to expect." he hangs his arms over his calves, "Didn't you learn from lying to your last girl?"

"I'm not lying to Lee, just withholding information that I don't feel like sharing right now," Gordon pats Harvey's shoulders. He then heads off and leaves through the doors to the building. Once Jim was out of sight, Bullock's lips curve into a maniacal grin. His eyes suddenly take on a devilish glare. The skin of his cheek begins to drip down, moulding back in and returning to normal. He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and takes out his phone. He dials a number and holds it to his ear.

"It worked. Jim is doing what you said he would"

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Meanwhile**

Harvey Bullock sits down on a wooden chair, tied by the ankles and wrists in thick rope. Tape covered his mouth. His face was swollen, covered in bruises, scars and blood. He has a pair of blackened eyes. He tenses up as he hears the sound of dark feminine laughter coming from behind him. Two pale hands with black and red nail polish snake their way around his shoulders. Harley leans over his shoulder and sends a chilling smile to him. She wears an earpiece on her right ear.

"Of course it did, Basil. I know a thin' or two 'bout messin' with people's noodles...," the blonde caresses Bullock's face, digging her nails into his flesh and drawing blood, "Mr J sure will be pleased with our progress... he'll surely have a happy face..., till next time," Harley taps her earpiece and ends the call. She climbs her hands up Harvey's face, leaving a trail of cuts up his flesh. Her hands come to his hair which she grabs and yanks his head back to look up to her eyes.

"Looks like you were good on your intel. Guess... I won't have to gut you... just yet... but I'm hoppin' I'll get to soon... I do like myself a mess," she opens her mouth wide into a grin as manoeuvres around and climbs on his lap. She pouts when she sees the man turn away from her, prodding her to violently grab his chin and force him to look back to her. His eyes were full of terror of the blonde.

She was disguised in a layer of white makeup, red and black eyeshadow and lipstick. Her pigtails were dyed, each being either black or red at the tips. Her top half was covered by black and red diamond parted leather jacket. Her legs were covered by black and red leather leggings, with her left having a black boot and her right having a red boot. She leans in closer, widening her already crazed gaze upon the man, "Aw... chin up, I haven't even started really hurtin' ya yet... Mr J said I can't be too rough... but I work with this, maybe next time ya shouldn't be so protective of that intel... it is the only reason you're alive right now...," she cups his face as she snaps her jaws.

The man flinches at her actions, quivering and screams which the tape blocks.

"Whatcha say... we start with somethin'...," the blonde reaches into the side pocket of her jacket and takes a balisong, "...cutting edge...," she slips the knife and spins the blade out. She slides the handle into her mouth and clamps it in place with her teeth. She comes even closer to Bullock, taking the blade towards him too. Harvey's bruised and swollen eyes reflect the incoming crazed look of the blonde. He begins to scream louder, still being silenced by the tape on his mouth.

* * *

**To Be Continued... **


	33. Somewhere Nowhere

**Somewhere Nowhere **

* * *

**\- Gotham City, Docks- **

The outskirts of Gotham, the docks are hosts to several parked black cars in one of the warehouses. Sophia Falcone, Black Mask, Tony Zucco and Oswald Cobblepot all stand in opposition to each other with a group of suited armed men off to the side. They were coated in flickering lights and the cold. Sionis was the first to speak, "You have some nerve calling us here, Sofia. This better be important otherwise I'm going to have to blow your head off your pretty neck," he rubs his leather gloves together.

Tony Zucco was still bound to his wheelchair, unable to move his legs, "You know how dangerous it is for us to meet up like this. Batman could drop in on us at any moment..."

Oswald stands with an umbrella in hand which he uses as a cane. His lips curve into a grin, "Sofia, Sofia, Sofia... I believe what my friends here are trying to say here is... HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? It's called a phone call. YOU'VE HEARD OF IT?"

"Leave it her to make such a stupid call. Maybe a lady isn't cut out to be a boss in Gotham at all... you were always better at being a side piece...," Black Mask glares, "How you managed to survive this long by your lonesome is certainly a mystery..."

Sofia folds her arms and smirks, "You just took the words out of my mouth, Roman. This whole operation... is now mine."

"How cute... the woman thinks she's a comedian... that's precious...," Black Mask snidely chuckles, earning a glare from Sofia, "You? As if my boys will take orders from a woman like yourself! My boys demand a strong leader, someone who doesn't take slack from anyone... and you... the only thing you are good for is being sideshow eye candy... hell would freeze over before you start running this city...," Sionis flicks his wrist and signals his fifteen men to take aim at Sofia with their weapons.

Then suddenly, a white blur cuts through the room and slices the armed men in a trail that leaves behind a river of blood. All of Sionis' men were eventually cut down, losing arms and legs, some even had their throats slit. In less than five seconds, all of the armed men were lying on the ground lifeless. Black Mask, Zucco and Cobblepot all panic as they look around to spot the killer. Sofia stands calm and collected, a smile slivering on her face.

The three men look up to the railing above where the man in white stood. His blue eyes shining from the darkness of his hood, "The ninth circle of hell is believed to be frozen over," Prometheus calls down to the three while Sofia held a grin. Prometheus warps down below onto the ground next to Sofia, "Unless you wish to see for yourself; Sofia will be taking over all operations, effective immediately," the man in white lowers his head, "Any attempt on her life shall be the end of yours...,"

"Just what this city needs... another goddamn freak running around like they own the place...," Black Mask growls.

"I'm exactly what this city needs. I'm what this world needs... I'll be watching you all...," Prometheus Boom Tubes out of the room and leaves the four on their own with the trail of corpses. Falcone takes glee in the frustration coming from Black Mask.

"What's a matter, Roman? I thought you didn't take any slack from anyone?," Sofia antagonises Black Mask to further his anger.

* * *

**Gotham City**

**4 Weeks Later...**

**\- Beneath Wayne Tower, Bat-Bunker -**

_"Happy 4th of July to all the citizens of Gotham, things have been rough lately but today is one of reflection. While Metropolis is honouring today by having their boy in red and blue open their newest history museum, it makes you wonder where our own protector has gone? It has been officially 32 days since the last reported sighting of The Batman, it seems like he's gone and vanished on us again. Be safe out there and be sure to check out the firework display tonight... Jack Ryder singing off" _

Lucius turns the radio off and rubs his eyes, "...Where are you Bruce?" he wears a light pink shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black tie. He hears footsteps coming closer to him, not choosing to look back he continues looking at the screen in front of him.

"It's been over a month, Lucius. He could be anywhere in the world...," Lee rubs the man's shoulder, "Being down here all this time isn't going to help. Go home, Lucius. Your wife and son are worried sick about you..., you haven't been home in weeks, you haven't eaten for days... and I don't even wanna guess how many days it's been since you last showered" Lee advises Mr Fox.

"Bruce wouldn't give up if he was the one trying to find me, I can't give up on him. I have to find him...,"

"And take a shower... but I'll let that slide for now...," Lee pinches her nose, "You think that what happened to him is your fault? You didn't make Bruce go to Nanda Parbat... he chose to. He chose to save you. That was his decision and his alone...," Lee sits down beside Lucius, "... Have you... told Alfred yet?"

"No.," Lucius sluggishly turns, "I tried calling him but he hasn't been answering any of my calls. He's not responding to any of my messages. I looked through the recent footage of Wayne Manner and that has proven to be pointless... it's on the fritz... has been for weeks."

"Alfred doesn't even know that his surrogate son could be...?"

"He's not. Bruce is tougher than you think...," Lucius stands up.

"I want to believe that he's okay... but I'm the one who has saved his life multiple times. It doesn't matter how hard Bruce tries, he's still just a man. He can die just as easily as the rest of us... he has lied in front me bleeding out too many times to make feel optimistic in this situation," Lee follows Lucius as they walk to the main computer, "Once you see that... he'll just be a regular man to you."

"He has to be okay... he has to be...," Lucius stood looking dejected, barely believing himself.

"You sound just like Selina... she's holding out hope... well in her own special way...," Lee looks to the screen in front of her, "Where are the girls anyway? Don't tell me they're out again..."

"I think they went out to deal with a robbery... not sure. I was busy with um-you know,... I'm sure they got it handled..."

* * *

**Across Gotham **

**\- Gotham Museum of Art -**

Harley is thrown through a glass case and shatters it. She rolls on the floor among the shards of glass as she groans in pain, "We so do not have this handled!." A malnourished man who looks to have been mummified that wears golden bracelets on his upper arms, wrists and ankles. He was shirtless, wearing a wrapped skirt and sandals. He holds dual golden sceptres with curved ends. King Tut sees Catwoman leaping at him and points the tip of his cane at her. He fires a golden blast and knocks Selina on the floor.

"Do. You. Not. Know. Who. I. Am? I am the pharaoh Tutankhaten!," juxtaposed with his frightening appearance, his voice was unbearably whiny, like nails on a chalkboard, "You. Will. Kneel. Before. Me!" he fires another golden blast from his sceptre.

"I think he has a few screws loose if ya ask me!" Harley calls out to Catwoman.

"Where the hell is Talia?!" Catwoman finds cover behind one of the displays as she reaches into her backpack, "He's destroying millions of dollars in art!"

"When did ya start carin' 'bout art?" Harley crawls back behind her own display case across from Catwoman.

"There's a lot of cool stuff that I wanted to steal!," Selina pulls out a triple corded bola, "I really need to get myself somewhere better to store my things," she slides out of cover and hurls the bolas at King Tut's legs and binds him. Tut trips over and growls.

"Scoundrels! Tis is the way you treat your king? This is appalling!"

Harley and Catwoman nod to each other. They jump over their respective display cases, "Have ya thought of gettin' a new suit? That skin-tight outfit can't be too cosy in the rain! it must cling to some very unconformable places,"

"Oh, you have no idea. Some nights I have to peel this thing off of me...," Catwoman squats on the display case as she reaches back to her backpack whilst Harley simply sits on hers as she playfully swings her legs, "It's a very odd sensation... but... I've grown to like it. Plus it being skin-tight really helps with movement"

"Really? I was thinkin' of changin' my getup a tad. Got any tips?" the blonde asks.

"You talking about ditching the clown motif?"

"Nah. I wanna keep that. C'mon... my name makes Harlequin. How would you not want to branch out into that?," Harley crosses her legs and holds the back of her hand under her chin, "You know how it is these days... it's all 'bout brand recognition"

"Yes, your name does make *Harlequin*,... but leaning into that makes it like a whole lot easier to figure out who you are," Catwoman takes out another chain of bolas and throws it and King Tut and ensnares his arms, "Seriously, you need to be more careful."

"Didn't ya call yourself "cat*? for years...? Ya aren't exactly one to talk," the two women jump off the displays and walk towards the criminal. Harley squeals as she kneels down and picks up a red and black sledgehammer, "There ya are. Mommy thought she'd lost ya."

"Release me you Cretans! You dare lay a finger on King Tutankhaten! Release me this instant or suffer the wrath of the gods!," King Tut squirms on the ground as he tries to break out of the binds, "This is an outrage! Let me go now!... please?" King Tut keeps fighting against the binds, "Pretty please... with a cherry on top?"

"Wow... this guy is pathetic...," Harley cringes at the man, "I almost feel bad for him... kinda"

"I don't. He still just pathetic... and kind of hard to look at," Catwoman bites her lip, "Very, very... sad... man, I owe Kite Man an apology for calling him pathetic... this? This is a whole new level...," she kneels over King Tut and rips off his mask. Harley and her whistle when they see the face of a male in his late teen or early twenties. He has shoulder-length raven hair and a pair of thick glasses, "Wow... I was not expecting that."

"Honestly, he looks like a guy that I would have had pity sex with in college," Harley holds her sledgehammer behind her back as she inches closer to the unmasked villain. She lifts her eyebrows when she spots Catwoman's unconformable look, "What? I needed some like everyone else... I just wasn't exactly the popular girl."

"Enough of your babbling you foul wenches! I demand that you free me! My mom wanted me home before midnight!"

"Alright... that's too pitiful... even for me," the blonde gulps as she blushes.

"Quiet, Harl," Catwoman glares as she looks back to the teenager, "Obviously you're just a dumb kid. Why the hell would you think robbing an art exabit would be a good idea?"

"Rob? What, I wasn't going to take anything! I was working on a project!," King Tut shrieks, "I left it to last-minute thus I need to get in here and photograph the pieces!"

"Okay... he's winding it back to my bearable level of pity, a little more and he might win me over" Harley chimes in.

"Harl!," Catwoman scorns the blonde, "Let's get out of here," she lifts her chin as she hears the faint sounds of sirens in the distance, "C'mon." Catwoman stands and walks away from King Tut. Harley looks to Catwoman, quickly glancing over to the male again and forms a shaka sign which she holds against her ear as she moves her lips to mimic saying *call me*. She turns back and skips after Catwoman as the sirens become louder which every passing movement.

"Move it!" Selina reminds the blonde.

"Yeah, yeah... I movin' it."

* * *

**4 Week Earlier...**

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat -**

Bruce Wayne, Jason Blüd and Talia al Ghül stand at the bottom of the monoliths of steps that lead up to the sweeping dojos. The steps were placed between a pair of icy mountains. The whole area was concealed by the dark blue, between sunset and full darkness. The clouds from above shroud the stars and moon. Bruce's eyes hone in on the lanterns far above them, dimly lighting the way towards the grounds up through the stone steps.

Bruce wore his white collar shirt and black jacket, using his cane as support. Talia wears her black jumpsuit zipped up to her sternum. Her sleeves were rolled up to her upper arms. She has her belt angled over her waist and fingerless black gloves. Her hair was loose, resting down her back. Jason's in a black turtle neck shirt and dark jeans. He carries a messenger bag over his right shoulder, with a silver watch on his wrist. He holds the strap of his bag.

Talia rounds her gaze to Bruce, "Whisper should be up there by now along with that friend of yours. Try not to get yourself killed, beloved"

"*Don't die*, expert advice. Let's get this over with before I wise up and turn around," Jason Blüd begrudgingly climbs the steps along with both Bruce and Talia to begin their long journey to the top, "Just what the hell are you going to do about your current state? You need that suit of yours to have a chance of winning"

Talia smirks, rocking her hips with each step that she took, "Whisper never was too bright. She made a foolish error of challenging Batman, not Bruce Wayne. Since she has no idea of the man behind the mask, her opponent shall be Batman. Whisper is now forced by League Law to fight Bruce suited up"

"Don't tell me that you judged this whole situation on a single technicality? How devious of you, yet again I should not expect much else from a daughter of the demon. It's hard to believe that Ra's was once disappointed with having daughters," the auburn-haired man cranks his neck up to further look over the top of the mountain, "He was never exactly the most... *modern* individual."

"My father was flawed, but I hear that you don't have the cleanest record either," Talia replies back with disdain, silencing Jason. The al Ghül sister turns back to Bruce who walks between her and Blüd, "As I said, you are permitted to suit up, but I'm afraid you are banned from using your gadgets, I will need to take away your utility belt, along with any other gadgets in the suit."

"Understood," Bruce says in a driven tone. Only focuses on getting Lucius back.

"I'm serious. If you are caught to even have an earpiece, even if you do not use it. Whisper will be declared the winner." Talia double-takes her glance over Bruce, "Speaking of which, where is your suit? I doubt that you are one those guys who wear their costume under their clothes..."

"I couldn't exactly take it with me abroad. Couldn't risk someone coming across it," Bruce reaches into his pocket and pulls an earpiece, "So I brought it in by other means." Talia and Jason look up along with Bruce to a small black aircraft circles around in the sky, he presses the earpiece into his ear and taps it, "Lock on my position, drop cargo." Halfway up the steps was a large area between the steps to which the Batwing drops a large capsule.

Around seven minutes later, the trio reaches the capsule. Bruce scans his palm against the outer case; opening it and revealing the Batsuit. A grey armoured suit, with a black collar around the neck that connects to the cape of the same colour. Black armoured gloves and boots. With a golden utility belt around the waisted of the suit. The Batsuit was positioned to be hanging its head low, looking down. Bruce reaches out to the suit, "Would you kindly turn around?"

"Don't even need to ask," Blüd turns his back to Bruce.

"Please, Bruce... I've seen everything of yours before... plenty of times. I nice refresher is long over due" Talia slyly folds her arms above her chest and grins, keeping her eyes on Bruce and watches him like a hawk. Bruce ignores the woman's flirtatious manner and regains his focus. The billionaire quickly changes into the vigilante, pulling over his gloves and boots and lastly his cowl. His blue eyes change through the lenses of the cowl to glow bright white.

"Happy?" Batman turns to confront the demon's daughter who wore the biggest smile on her face.

"... If it wasn't for the imminent danger, I would be jumping on you right now...," she holds out her hand to the vigilante, "Whisper is going to want some proof, hand that belt of yours over," Batman hands the belt over to her which she takes and puts it on angled over her chest. The three then continue their journey upward, for another ten minutes until they reach the top. Talia, Jason and the Bat look over to the redhead standing not too far away from them.

Whisper has her red hair parted over, she dresses in a black jumpsuit, similar to the demon's daughter, though with it zipped up to her collar bone. Her sleeves were rolled up to her forearm with knee-high boots and gloved hands. A katana holstered over her shoulder. She stands with her hands held to her hips as her eyes track the trio's movement. A smile slowly creeps onto her face as her eyes land upon Jason Blüd. A'Daire holds her hands out and applauds the three, "Well what do you know? You actually followed through with your end"

"You sound surprised," Batman comments walks towards the redhead.

"There's an old saying: A man can be judged by the company that he keeps, and to be honest, you aren't rolling with a crowd of saints," Whisper reaches behind her back and grabs her blade, "Plus you spent all those years screwing the woman who screwed me"

"In my defence, I had no idea of what went down between you two," Batman steps closer to A'Daire, "I'm here, just like you wanted... you better live up to your own end"

"You have his number, right? Call him, he's on the first flight back to Gotham" Whisper lifts her eyebrows and points over to the masked man, "I could sense that you cared greatly for the man, so I knew you would come. He was long gone before you even go here"

"Oh?" Batman asks confused, "That... That was remarkably easy...," he looks behind him to Talia, "The last pouch has a tracker, use it to verify Lucius' location. I'm not fighting her until I'm sure that he's safe," the heiress reaches over her should and opens up the requested compartment of the belt. She pulls out a hand-sized screen which proved Whisper's words as true, showing Lucius moving towards Gotham. Talia clenches the screen.

"Lucius is heading towards America, just like she says" Talia informs the vigilante.

"Fine," Batman turns back to Whisper, "Let's get this over with"

A'Daire grins, "The last time we spoke, I promised that I would slit your throat in front of the woman that you love. If there's one thing you should know about me before you die... it's that I always keep my promises," she growls. Batman and A'Daire glare at each other, "Then once you are gone... I will kill my quarry..."

"Over my dead body," Batman clenches his hands into fists.

"That is the plan," Whisper smirks.

* * *

**Present Day**

**Across Gotham **

**\- Wayne Tower, Bruce's Office -**

Lucius stands behind the office desk and holds the framed photo of Bruce and his parents from nearly two decades ago. Lee walks into the room as she opens the dual doors. She spots Lucius and carefully makes her way towards him, "When I told you to come out from the bunker, I meant for you to go home. Not just stand around here and punishing yourself even more." She walks around the desk and gently runs her hand up the frame of the photo, "Lucius... be with your family... you need to be with them right now," she takes the frame from Lucius and sets it down.

"When Bruce first returned from his travels, he came to me. He trusted me with telling me the truth. He put his faith in me... and I let him down. Both him and his parents... he was relying on me and I failed him...," Lucius drops his head, "Bruce would've found me by now if I was the one missing. He would never stop looking until he did... it should have been me...," Lucius' voice shakes with guilt, "It should have been me..."

"No." Lee squints her eyes, "Bruce would never want you to think like that. He never would. He would want you to pull yourself together and take a look at yourself. It doesn't matter where he is, either... gone or still somehow out there, he would never blame you... so stop blaming yourself," she chastises Lucius, "I checked on the girls, turns out the alarm was tripped by just some kid who was in a rush to get his school project done. Selina and Harleen are okay."

"Thanks. That's some good news."

"I still find it hard to believe that Bruce was-is Batman... and Selina is Catwoman. Jim shot her last year, the whole is just strange to me... and then there's Harleen... she's the one that that is boggling me the most," Lee comments.

"How come?"

"Well, there's something about her, something that doesn't sit right with me. It's hard to explain but as bad as it might sound, I don't trust her...-"

"Don't trust me to do what?," Harleen walks in her room, dressed in a collar unbuttoned red shirt and a short black business skirt, leggings and heels. Her sleeves were rolled up and her hair was tied in a single ponytail. She smiles as she greets Lee and Lucius. Her arms hug her chest and holds her laptop, "Oh shoot... did I just walk in you two havin' a private chat? Well, in my defence the doors were open... plus, this is sorta my office until Bruce returns..."

"What?" Lee asks.

"Bruce made her his PA while he was away so she could help catch up the work he was behind on," Lucius answers as he looks to the blonde, "Sorry, Harl, we're just on our way out," he and Lee head out of the room and close the doors behind them. Harleen pushes her glasses back up and glares back. She walks around the desk and takes her seat. She sets her laptop down and opens it. She enters the password and looks at the screen.

"C'mon, Bats... where are you? Mr J ain't going to be too pleased if you are really dead...,"

Outside the office, Lucius and Lee step into the elevator of the tower, "Harleen sounded like she didn't know who Bruce was...? Didn't you guys bring her into the Bunker for treatment after she was stabbed? How did she not remember that?" Lee bombards Lucius.

Lucius selects the ground floor and the two begin their descent through the tower, "I was wondering that too for a while but Talia told me that the Lazarus' effects can drastically alter depending on how close you are on the verge of death. She was bleeding out and was in shock, most likely it was all a fever dream to her."

"Are you sure? She could just be pretending that she doesn't remember?" Lee asks.

"I don't see why she would lie about that. Harleen has been nothing but helpful to us. Sure she presses some buttons but she has been there when we needed her... maybe she does know and is lying about it because she doesn't want her relationship with Bruce and the others to change?"

"Have you noticed the way that she looks at Bruce?" Lee questions Lucius.

"Uhh… nothing out of the ordinary, why?"

"Of course you wouldn't; you're a guy. You don't pick up on things like I do. She definitely can't keep her eyes off of Bruce when she's with him...,"

"... She has said some... things that would indicate that she has a thing for him..., so? I don't see any harm in that"

"A *thing* is putting it lightly, it's like she's obsessed over him. Selina's even noticed... but she's civil enough to not say anything to her," Lee looks up to the display that shows her the current level that they are on, "Someone needs to confront Harleen on this, it's not healthy... I don't know her well enough to do it myself, Selina doing it will only make things awkward, that Talia girl likely isn't going to want to hear her out, and you're... a guy, no offence"

"None taken. I want to stay as far away from this as possible," Lucius and Lee see the doors open on the ground floor. The pair walk out into the open area, "Hey, Lucius, you good to drive home? You look tired."

"I got it handled."

"Just eat something and for god sake...get some sleep, I'm telling you as both a friend...a doctor. At least eight hours and no junk food, got it?" Lee counsels Mr Fox, "Seriously, I'll be calling Tanya later to check on you. And if you haven't done what I told you, we'll be having a more serious talk, okay?"

"How can I sleep when Bruce could still be out there? It just feels wrong..."

"Bruce wouldn't want you to work yourself to death, I don't either." Leslie smiles.

"...I'll give a try...but I still don't like it," Lucius heads out of the entrance of the building.

* * *

**4 Week Earlier...**

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat -**

"Here you are," Talia offers her own blade to The Dark Knight, "I'm guessing that you did not have the foresight to bring your own. This blade was once used by my own father centuries ago, he ordered it to be passed down to me on my eighteenth birthday," she stands on her toes to come closer to matching the man's height, "I only hope that you are willing to do what is needed to end this madness," her eyes reflect the vigilante's own gaze.

"The blood of Ra's victims are on that sword, I will not take it," he refutes the woman's offer, "I will not use a weapon that Ra's used to slaughter people," he sees the woman bring the blade back over her back. She subtly nods, showing her understanding of his choice.

"You can't go using your fists, you will be outmatched, even if you had your gadgets," Talia concerns over the man, "In order to claim victory in this, you must be willing to end it... to be willing to end her, just like she is ready to end your life"

"I got it handled, I promise" Batman smiles to the demon's daughter, "I'll stop her, but in my way."

"I really want to start yelling at you, but I fear this is the last time we may converse, just do what you believe is just. I believe in you, beloved..." she reaches behind his neck and pulls Batman towards her as their lips connect. Talia moves her palms against the man's chest and Batman brings his arms around both her arm and lower back and he holds onto her tightly. Moments pass before they finally part from each other, Batman looks dazed and locked onto the woman's eyes.

"That-that...was..."

"I've always loved you, beloved. That has never changed..." Talia purrs with a grin, "Whisper asked you to bring the woman that you love... and chose me. Now I know that you feel the same as I, now win" she encourages him as she presses her palm against the man's cowl and draws him in for another kiss. Their lips caress each other. They part once more as they both turn to Whisper who stands several metres away from them, "I believe in you"

"Any pointers?" Batman asks the woman.

"Aim for her legs. She uses her lesser height to her advantage. She's agile and uses her legs to knock her opponent down... also, don't let her bite you. It doesn't matter how strong that suit is, her fangs can cut through it with ease."

Batman moves from the heiress and towards Whisper, he stops when he comes close to Jason Blüd. The auburn-haired man comes in close, "Remember the plan. It is the only way to ensure your victory and my continued existence" Jason whispers to the vigilante.

"I know what I need to do, just not looking forward to it. Are you sure that it's going to work?" Batman asks in the same whisper tone as Blüd.

"Of course I am. You can trust me, remember, I have a stake in this, you live through this... so do I, Godspeed," Jason wishes well upon The Dark Knight. Batman continues on his path towards Whisper. Talia makes her way over to the auburn-haired man.

"What did you say to him?" she inquires as she folds her arms.

"Hopefully, not my last words to him" he replies as he straightens his glasses, "Be honest with me here, you're the fighter. How do you expect this battle to go?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe, Bruce has a history of proving me wrong," she saunters her way after Batman with Jason following behind.

* * *

**Present Day**

**\- Sirens Club -**

Talia al Ghul, dressed in a black sheath dress sets an empty glass on the bar. Barbara Kean stands behind the counter and looks over the demon's daughter, "So...you and Bruce were together? Wow... Bruce is the luckiest guy to ever walk this planet. So I wanna know, just between us what's the attraction? There's another woman that I know that was close with him, and for the life of me...I cannot figure out why," Barbara refills the glass and then leans over, she rests her chest over her arms, "The only thing that I can think of is him having a-"

"Please don't be talking about what I think you are," Selina emerges from the crowded floor and takes a set beside Talia, "Can you give us a minute, Barb?" she asks the redhead who reluctantly agrees. Barbara goes to serve another customer. Selina looks in both directions to check if anyone was in hearing range of them. She took into account the blaring music playing along with the noise of the crowd. She deduced it as the perfect cover, "We need to talk."

"I rather not." Talia snaps back as she fiddles her fingers with the ice cubes in her glass.

"But we both know that you need this, trust me, I went through the same thing," Selina leans over, "We looked everywhere, Tal. If he was out there we would have found him. France, Beijing and the Himalayas... that's where Lucius last tracked him."

"I'm aware. I was with you."

"I know what you are feeling. I think he's still alive too, I can still feel him out there," Selina identifies with the other woman, losing their usual disdain for each other, "He'll be back. He always his. But in the meantime...he would want you to help keep this city safe, we both know that you are the only one in this city that can do as much as good as he can."

"He's dead, Selina. I know him, he would have made his way to this city by now, no matter what stood in his way," Talia looks to her reflection in the cocktail, "You know Bruce and I know Batman and he hasn't been Bruce for years, not since that night."

Selina holds her arm over the counter and tilts her head to the other woman, "I was there, that night I mean. The night where he lost his parents, I saw it happen. I saw the mugger approach them, I saw him shoot them without mercy and I saw the terror in Bruce's eyes. Something like that is hard to forget, even for this forsaken city," she reflects on that night, flashing back to it, "It all started with that shooter and then... Gotham happened, it changed him, shaped him into the person that he is today."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that everyone in this city suffers a tragedy, it's unavoidable. Unlike the others in this city, he didn't turn his anger at the world, he didn't want to hurt others. My point is that Bruce chose to become a protector, a guardian so that no other kid has to see their parents gunned down," the raven-haired woman rolls her shoulders, "All I'm saying is that is not the fury of a monster but the innocence of a child who's lost... the innocence of a boy who saw his parents gunned down right in front of him..."

"You don't understand my troubles...," the complexioned woman makes a disingenuous smile, "My father tasked me with looking over Bruce, he destined us to be together. I hated my father for this, though I never dare question him. After my father died, I was left with just one means of honouring him. I looked over Bruce... and eventually, I grew to love him... he was my soulmate," she confessed, "We were lovers. I only stayed in this city for him... but the thought of him being...gone means that I couldn't even save the man that I love."

"Tal, I didn't even think abou-"

"Of course you didn't. I lost my father, my sister and my mother long gone. The league is disbanded and only thing I had left was ripped away," Talia's eyes begin to water, "My family is gone, my legacy has been erased and the one happy thing I had is now gone," she looks to Selina, "You have suffered losses too, I am aware but you are still surrounded by those who love you. I don't have that... I don't have anything, and Bruce...he loves you, he always will... and you aren't even willing to accept him for who really is," the demon's daughter stands and sets a pile of dollar bills next to her drink, "My father, the league and now the man who I gave my heart to... I am never good enough... I don't know why I ever expected things to change by coming to Gotham."

"Tal, wait!" Selina calls out to the demon's daughter who walks off and vanishes among the crowd.

Barbara Kean walks back to confront Selina as she picks up the money left behind, "I'm guessing that didn't go as planned."

"I only wanted to talk to her, I didn't expect it to get like that," Selina admits.

"You should know better than anyone, not everyone is good at talking. Some things are just better left unsaid," Barbara picks up the drink left behind and sips from it, "I can tell that she must have grown up in a strict home, I know that look anywhere. I had a hard time connecting with others for a long time after I moved out."

"I. Get. The. Hint. I shouldn't have pushed her."

"C'mon, Selina. You're a grown woman... I shouldn't have to be the one to tell you how to act," Barbara looks up to the clock above the bar, "Hate to be a bother, but could you do me a favour? Can you pick up Barbara Lee from her club?"

"I may not know a lot about school but I know that today it's off."

"Barbara insisted on going with her friends to the Library for their club today, one of the other kid's mom brought her there. She can't take her home and I am swamped here... I'm still dealing with that dumbass contractor, can you take her back to the house?" the redhead asks.

"Gotham City library? Ok... I can do that...," Selina stands and folds her arms, "I can do that..."

* * *

**4 Week Earlier...**

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat -**

Batman comes in less than a metre from Whisper as they both square up. They both remain silent, watching each other, looking at every detail, every movement and slight change in posture. A'Daire grins, showing her fangs to the man as she reaches behind her back and grabs her sword, "You are unarmed. How disappointing..."

Batman taps his cowl and activates his modulator, "**When you're as good as me, there is no such thing are being unarmed.**"

"Confident? I like that... just means there's more of your spirit to destroy... you will suffer for killing the great Ra's al Ghül!" she tightens her grip around the hilt of her blade, "Let's end this..." she swings her blade towards Batman. The Dark Knight raises his gauntlets and deflects the sword, creating sparks between them, and scratching over the man's gloves. Batman turns on his feet, using his cape to knock Whisper off balance.

She rolls onto the ground and traps the man's waist between her thighs, she throws him over her. She jumps to her feet and sees Batman trying to stand up. She grabs at her blade and holds it over his head. Batman scoops up a handful of dirt and turns, throwing it at the woman's face and in her eyes. She's thrown into a coughing fit and covers her eyes as she backs off from the Knight. The vigilante jumps to his feet and grabs onto the woman and throws her onto the ground.

In the moment, Whisper wrapped her thighs around the man's back and her arms around his neck as she takes him down with her. They both fall on the ground, though Whisper used her lower body strength to put Bruce on the bottom and her on the top. She now straddles the man's stomach, "That was unhonourable," she hisses as she holds her arm over the man's neck, "Fine. That's how you wanna play it? Okay, let's play dirty... I never did get that taste...," the redhead bares her fangs and launches her head towards the man's neck.

Batman's right gauntlet intervened between his neck and the woman's fangs, causing Whisper to bite into the armour, "**Dressing like a bat is one thing, but that kind of foreplay is strange... even by my standards**," he grabs onto the woman's shoulders and rolls them over to put him above her. He goes to reach for the handcuffs in his utility belt only to remember that he wasn't wearing it. He then remembers that the belt was in possession of Talia.

While the man was in the middle of the motion, Whisper reaches out to the sword on the ground next to her. She grabs her blade and slices it across the vigilante's chest which cuts through the bat symbol. She curves her legs and kicks the man off of her. She follows after the man, jumping on his shoulders from behind and kicks her legs around his neck. The combined weight of both him and Whisper normally would have been enough to throw him down on the ground but thanks to the endoskeleton of the Batsuit, he now could support both of their weight.

Seeing that the man was still standing puzzles the redhead. She was sure that Batman should've been dropped to the ground like before, but somehow he was able to support her on his shoulders, "What's this? Why did you not fall, Alwatwat?"

"**You want me to fall? Be careful what wish** **for**!," Batman drops backwards and takes Whisper with him, landing over her on the hard surface. The sudden drop combined with the weight of the Batsuit helps to knock the wind right out of Whisper as she gasps, feeling several of her ribs break. Batman rolls off of her and rises to a kneeling position. Seeing the woman's current state left him to lower his guard, she was down for the count... a foolish misjudgement.

Like a blur, A'Daire springs at Batman and tackles him to the ground, her fangs pierce through the Batsuit and into his neck. She climbs on top of him and grabs the back of the man's cowl and tilts his head. Bruce screams as he feels the woman's fangs cut through the veins in his neck and the toxin she injects into his system. At the very moment that Whisper bit Bruce, Jason Blüd looks down to his watch, focusing on the seconds hand. Whisper throws her head up, her lips coated in the man's blood with the man under her silencing, "... Don't be ashamed... no mortal can survive my toxin... you will meet your maker in mere moments..."

Jason Blüd keeps his eyes looking to his watch, not showing concern for the sight in front of him. Talia weakens at the sight of her hurt beloved, "... My beloved!." Talia goes to charge at Whisper but is stopped when Blüd holds his arm own to block her path.

Whisper straddles the chest of the man below her. She creeks her neck over to look at Talia, "The love of your life is about to die, now you will understand my pain. Wallow in it for the rest of your days...," she then looks to Jason as she climbs off of Batman and stands, "Now... time to finish the job. You're next..."

* * *

**Present Day**

**Across Gotham**

**\- Wayne Tower, Bruce's Office**

Harleen locks the doors of the office and makes her way towards the bookshelf of the room. Her eyes land upon a chess board residing on one shelf. Her lips curve as she reaches over and grabs the black Knight and the white Knight piece and switches their position on the board. She hears a latch unlock and the bookshelf opens and reveals a hidden path. The blonde saunters through the gap and into the elevator. She looks to the retinal scanner and reaches into her purse.

She takes out a small box and opens it. She takes out an eyeball and holds it to the scanner. The tech observes the eye with a green beam. Moments after the lock flashes green and the elevator begins to descend. Harleen arrives at the Bunker and leaves the confines of the transport. She gently squeezes the eyeball before throwing it back into the box and to her purse. She walks to the main hub area with the Bat-Computer and rests her palms on the console.

She pulls out an earpiece and puts it on, she clicks on it and speaks, "Good news, puddin', I got myself in, it's good thing you still had the eye left from that Alfred clone. I have the whole place to myself." She reaches back into the purse and takes out a USB, "Yeah... yeah... yeah, Uh-huh, got it. Understood, Mr J," she walks to other nearest computer and inserts the drive, "Installin' now," she informs the person at the other end of the call. Her eyes wander over to the rack of the Lazarus test tubes.

The blonde makes her way to the display and reaches for one of the tubes, "Don't worry, puddin', I'm bringin' you a souvenir," she takes one of the tubes and holds it in her hand. She then paces around as awaits for her next move. She walks back to the computer when she hears the notification. She pulls out the USB with her spare hand, "Yeah... I ejected it properly, promise," she lies as she returns the USB back to her bag. Harleen heads towards the Bat-Computer and looks at the information appearing on the screen.

* * *

**Chinatown, Gotham City Library **

Selina Kyle walks through the halls that are sectioned off by the bookcases stumbles upon a table that nearly ten kinds sit around, one of them being the one that she was looking for. She sees Barbara Lee and the other kids focusing one person in particular, Jason Blüd. Selena makes her way towards the table and notices that the auburn-haired man was reading a book to them. Blüd's eyes were locked to the pages of the books, not taking notice of Selina as he continues to read to the children.

Getting even closer, Selina sees that Jason was holding a copy of David and Goliath.

"If you remember anything from this, I deeply desire that it will be this: Inside us all is a David and eventually... we are all destined to confront our goliath. When you are at your lowest point, thinking that you can no longer go on, continue fighting... remember, it was David who slew Goliath," the sagacious Liberian looks up to see Selina standing behind the table and next to Barbara Lee. He closes the book and holds it at his side, "I see that we have gone on long enough. Good day."

"Aunt Selina!" Barbara Lee stands and hugs the woman's waist. Selina returns the affection as she pats the girl's back.

"Stop calling me that," Selina jokes as she looks back to Blüd, "Pack your things, alright? I'm taking you home today, just give me a moment." She leaves Barbara to pack her belonging and heads to the auburn-haired man, "We need to-"

"Uh-uh," Blüd evades, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Tsk, on what grounds?"

Blüd taps his foot on the floor, "Uh, this one?"

"Smartass," Selina glares, "When I first met you, I just thought you were a jerk but after learning that you went to Nanda Parbat with Bruce...I'm seriously considering on testing that immortality of yours."

"You're here for the girl, right? Take her and go." Jason advises Selina, "I have no vested interest in continuing this discussion."

"You said that we all have a goliath, so tell me...what's yours? What's your challenge that you have to overcome?." Selina asks.

"Miss Kyle," Blüd removes his glasses, "We all have our demons, we all have our own ways of fighting them and some us...lose those battles," he looks over Selina's shoulders and to Barbara Lee, "Some demons...you just have to run from," he looks back to Selina, "Next time I see you in here, it better be with a Library card."

Selina inches up on her heels, "What happened to you to make you a heartless son of a bitch? Bruce went to Nanda Parbat to save your sorry ass and you can't even bring yourself to help with the search. I don't know what happened with you...but you deserve every part of it" she turns and heads towards Barbara Lee, she takes her hand in hers and guides her towards the exit, "C'mon, Barb."

"Aunt Selina, can we see the fireworks later?" the girl asks innocently.

"Of course," Selina agrees.

Blüd stands in silence as he puts his glasses back on.

* * *

**4 Week Earlier...**

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat -**

Whisper suddenly begins convulsing violently and holds her sides, "W-what? W-wha- happening?" she spasms as she falls to her knees and covers her mouth. Her entire body begins to tremble, shaking as she dribbles her own blood, "Wh-what's going... on?." to her shock, Batman stands up, like he was perfectly fine and wasn't just injected by her toxin. The Dark Knight walks past her, glaring down to her as he holds his hand against his neck. A'Daire gasps as more blood leaks from her mouth, "H-h-how? I... I-bit you... y-you should be-dead!"

"Beloved... what's happening here?" Talia asks confused.

Jason Blüd takes his glasses off and smirks, "Before we left Gotham, Batman and I had a little chat about dealing with Whisper. I was aware that he wouldn't kill her, and I didn't want to die either... so we came to a compromise between the pair of us. During her time in Gotham, she injected her toxin in one of the Checkmate Guards... so we located the body..."

Batman steps in front of gasping Whisper, "**We isolated Whisper's toxin and reverse-engineered it**."

"-Y-you inoculated yourself...?" A'Daire glares up to Batman.

"Me too," Blüd waves to her, "And thanks to that very annoying display of PDA between these two lovebirds, Miss Al Ghül here was also inoculated...," he puts his glasses back on, "And for what's happening with you, since the vaccine is in Batman's since you just drank his blood... well, you're a clever woman. You figure it out."

"**I did my research on you,**" Batman tells A'Daire "**You always leave your mark on your targets. You always inject your toxin into them. It was obvious to presume that you would try to kill me with that... and now you just drank the cure to your own poison**"

"Wait...?" Talia's eyes narrow at Batman, "Did you only kiss me for that?"

"**Not now,**" Batman looks back to Whisper, "**Your powers are gone, Whisper. Your toxin also held traces of your DNA, we managed to separate the human DNA from the cobra's. You'll be just as human as the rest of** **us in a matter of minutes**"

"Well as human as Batman and I," Talia turns and glares at Blüd.

Whisper's hands press against her own throat, "Ra's gifted me with my youth... how dare you...," she stands on her wobbling legs, "Lest we forget, I was a force not to be reckoned with long before Ra's changed me... this fight is still going!" she squares up, grabbing her blade from the ground and points it to Batman, "I'll will end you."

"No you won't," a voice calls up from the roof of the dojo. The four look to the direction of the voice and sees a man dressed in a white robe with glowing blue eyes. The man has dual swords holstered on his back along with two dual bandoliers around his shoulders in sash-style. From beneath the man's hood was complete darkness except for the light of his sapphire emanating eyes. He has several small belts tied around his legs and arms. Prometheus looms over the four as his gaze meets Whisper.

"Prometheus? B-but you said you wanted Blüd dead!," Whisper calls back, still shaking from the antidote flowing through her body.

The man in white maddens at Whisper's words, he vanishes within a flash of bright light and warps to her side, fast enough to make the change in position look like a blur of light. Prometheus now stands in front of A'Daire. He reaches out and grabs the woman's hair and yanks her off of her feet and hurls her onto the ground. He kneels over her with his arm pressing against her throat as she tries to fight against his hold on her, "Alwatwat is off limits... you betrayed your orders to pursue some foolish vendetta... how disappointing... but not unexpected"

"**Tal, belt now!**" Batman jests his hand towards Talia who unclips the belt around her chest and throws it towards the dark knight. Midway through the air, Prometheus warps between the two and grabs the utility belt to stop it from going to Bruce. Prometheus tightens his grip around the belt as he turns to Batman.

"Kids these days... they wouldn't last a day without their precious technology..." Prometheus takes out his Mother Box and holds it against the belt. The apokoliptian tech explodes the belt into ash. The man in white holds out his hand and opens his palm and allows for the dust to fall out of his hand. He places the Mother Box back under his robe, "We are face to face once more, Alwatwat... so to speak of course..." he draws attention to the mask that they both wear.

"**I'm not afraid of** **you**," The Dark Knight clenches his fists.

"Good, I don't want you to be. I'm not your enemy... not yet anyways..." Prometheus modulated voice sends a shiver down Batman's spine, "History says we still have a few more years to go..."

"**How 'bout we get a head** **start**," Batman rushes at the man in white. Prometheus grabs his dual blades and warps at the vigilante, delivering a kick to the man's chest and knocks him back. Batman grabs Prometheus' foot and throws him back, reacting the man in white to backflip. Prometheus swings with both of his blades, one vertically and the other horizontality as he spins on his feet. Batman catches the tips of the blades in his hands and snaps them off. The Dark Knight then throws the brunt of his cowl forward and hits Prometheus' head.

The man in white throws his dual blades to the ground as they disintegrate in blue flashes of light. He then holds out his palms as a new pair of blades form from the same light. He tightens his grip over the hilts of the blades, "Are you even trying? Your inamorata gave a better fight...," he ducks to evade an attack from Talia's blade behind him. He straightens up and kicks the woman in the back and knocks her to the ground. He points one of his newly formed blades to the back of Talia's scalp, "You al Ghüls were always a nuisance, I should have eliminated you lot like the pests that you are!"

* * *

**Present Day**

**Gotham, Chinatown **

**\- Gotham City Library, Back Office -**

Jason Blüd sits back in his chair as his eyes look at the photo that he was holding: A slightly torn black and white photo of a Victorian woman smiling, in a black dress and bonnet. The photo had small traces of dried blood and burn marks on it. He gently caresses the picture. He tenses as he experiences quick flashes from his memories: A demonic figure with red-glowing eyes, webbed ears that wears marron and silver knight-like armour with a long torn blue cape and metal chains on its wrist. The demon conjures bursts of flames from his palms as he growls. His hands fold, his long black claws curving with them. The demon has two long spiked horns on the top of his head and black lips and fangs.

"...Never again...," he whispers, brokenly.

His mind then flashes to another memory of his: the demon kneels in the middle of a burning home, bleeding and bruised. The demon lifts his head and looks to a figure standing before him, covered by the flames and the thick layer of smoke. With the only discernible features being six glowing yellow eyes, three on each side of the figure's face and long flowing white hair. Blüd was brought out of his thoughts as he hears the phone on his desk ring.

He takes a moment to regain his composure and picks up the phone, "Jason Blüd - who might I be talking to?" his body stiffens as hears the person on the end speak. The auburn-haired man removes his glasses, "Well, well, well...I should've known that you would still be kicking around...you what?," he waits for the person to finish speaking, "I see...how...curious. You and your family have always been full of surprises..."

* * *

**4** **Week Earlier...**

**Tibet **

**\- Nanda Parbat -**

"Both you and your sister should have been taken care of sooner...!" Prometheus twists his hand around his blade's hilt. Batman moves to the man in white's side and goes to punch him. Prometheus evades by warping behind him and wrapping his arm around the vigilante's neck, "Just as I believed, without your gadgets you are no threat. Ra's would be beyond disappointed..." he looks over to Jason Blüd who stands on the side-line, "We will be seeing each other again...," Prometheus then Boom Tubes away from the scene, taking Batman with him.

"Bruce!" Talia jumps to her feet and grasps her shoulder. Talia walks over to the downed Whisper who was convulsing rapidly, "Damn you,.. you bitch...," she lifts her boot and kicks the redhead in the head to knock her unconscious, "Death would be too good for you..."

"... What have I done...?" Blüd questions himself.

[**Paris, France **]

The twilight hours of day oversaw the city. Bright light resides all over the large field of grass and the Eiffel Tower which too is illuminated among the dim light of day. Both Prometheus and Batman blur out of the boom tube as they land upon the railings of the radiating glow of the Eiffel Tower. Batman desperate clings onto one of the railings to avoid falling to the ground way below them. From his estimate, they were easily above two hundred and fifty metres off the ground. He pulls himself up and balances on the railing along with Prometheus who was already standing on the same railing.

"Like the view? I thought we could use somewhere more private," Prometheus grabs his blades and swings them at Batman. The vigilante lifts his gauntlets up and blocks both blades. The man in white than kicks against the man's gauntlets and sends him back. The Dark Knight quickly shifts his weight to retain his balance on the railing. He then left hooks Prometheus, his blow being blocked by the hilt of the masked man's sword, "You can't kill me, Alwatwat. So c'mon... let's see the damage that you can really do."

Without his grapple launcher, Batman is made to jump up and grab onto the railing above him and Prometheus. He climbs on top, jumping over and hanging from another railing above. Prometheus shakes his head as he then follows after Bruce, though instead of ascending up the tower like Batman, he instead warps his way from upward. They bump into each other, Batman attacks with his fists and Prometheus uses his swords. Knocking each other back, they ascend further up the tower, attacking each other and then move upwards.

"I'm not finished with you yet" Prometheus tackles Batman off of the tower and they begin to plummet down towards the ground. Without his grapple launcher, Batman could not think of a way to get out of this situation and his impending doom. They punch each other on their descent, coming into blows and tackling each other as they drop hundreds of metres and near the ground that was full of civilians who look up to the two men in confusion.

At the last second, Prometheus Boom Tubes away and takes Batman with him, sparing him from hitting the ground.

[**Beijing, China**]

Both Prometheus and Batman drop out of the Boom Tube and roll onto the walkway of the great wall of china between the forest hills that expand for miles. The seemingly never-ending wall now homes the two's conflict as they continue their fight. Batman blocks another swing from his foe's weapons and knocks one of them out of his hands. Batman then takes hold of the falling blade and swings it at Prometheus who deflects the sword with the one in his grip.

The two clash their swords with speed and precision, making sparks between each connection of their blades. Prometheus's blade cut across the Batsuit's chest and Batman's sword cuts across his enemy's chest. Blood begins to drip from the man in white's wounds, however, he wasn't even taking any notice of it. He was too busy being lost in the brawl between him and the vigilante. Tourists from across the wall lock in on the two men's battle and snap photos of the sight.

Prometheus ducks under one of The Dark Knights' swings and springs up, grabbing his cowl and slams his head into the uneven ground. Batman rolls out of the way of a descending slash of Prometheus' blade. He kicks up and tightens his legs around the man in white's neck and throws him over him and onto the ground too, "**That all you got?,**" Batman jumps to his feet and sees Prometheus doing the same. Batman now grabs both of swords off the ground and takes them into his grip.

"No. Not even close..." Prometheus sternly replies as snaps his fingers. The sword's in Batman's grip both break and shatter, reforming in Prometheus' own hands, "Now... where were we?" he then rushes Batman and sends both of his blades swinging at him. As the blades hit against the vigilante's gauntlets, the two are taken away by another Boom Tube.

**[****Himalayas]**

The pair land upon the top of Mount Everest, continuing their fight. The atmosphere at their height was cold, unbearably so. Bruce was fully aware that his Batsuit is the only way he could survive. Though he feels the struggle on his lungs to breathe, it hurts each time he gasps for air. He taps the side of his cowl and his cowl slides together and connects, sparing him from the harsh conditions. He backs away from the attack of Prometheus and his swords.

Batman steps out of the way of another swing of the man's blades and grabs on the tip. Instead of breaking it this time, he takes it out of Prometheus' hand and shoves it into the man in white's legs. He then keeps his hands on the hilt and uses the blade to cut up all the way through the foe's legs, spilling blood on the mountain. Prometheus growls as he kicks the Dark Knight off balance and yanks the sword out of his leg. With a faint glow, the cut in his leg heals, like it wasn't even injured in the first place.

He then grabs Batman's shoulder and spins him around. The man in white punches the vigilante's lower back and kicks Batman onto his knees, "I have knowledge of your ways. Evert martial art you've were taught. Every decision you will make and how you will make it. Prometheus takes out the Mother Box and presses it against his opponent's back. The man in white than clenches his other hand around Batman's left shoulder to hold him down, "And I am aware of the tech you're using to walk."

The Mother Box flashes and Batman suddenly feels the endoskeleton of his suit lose all of its power. Without the needed support; Bruce drops down onto the floor, unable to stop himself from descending onto the ice, "**What did y**ou do?" Bruce hears his modulator glitch and he sees his eye lenses darken. He tries to crawl from the man above him, Prometheus kneels down and grabs the back of Batman's cowl and yanks it up and slams it to the ground.

He turns the vigilante over on his back with one kick, "Don't you understand? You cannot kill me. You cannot stop me. You cannot even match me. What hope do you have of stopping the oncoming battle for this World!"

"W-What the hell are you talking about?" Batman grits his teeth below his mouthpiece.

"It's most men's destinies to bow before gods... but you? It's is yours to one day fight alongside them... as an equal. Try as you and they might... you cannot stop Apokolips. You fail and the world is destroyed because of your arrogance. I'm the only who can save this world... but I need you and the rest for now."

"I am going to... stop you..."

"Not if you value your loved ones. I will give you one warning: stay out of my way! Just because I need you does not mean your love ones have used to me... come after again, and I will slaughter them all!" Prometheus leans in closer to Batman, "Are we at an understanding?"

"You think... that you have all the answers, don't you? If you touch any of my loved ones again... you will wish that you can die!" Batman growls as he attempts to hit Prometheus from the side. The Man in white catches the vigilante's first with his palm and stops the momentum of the punch.

"Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul, James Gordon, Lucius Fox, Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Tompkins, Barbara Kean, Barbara Lee Gordon,, Harvey Dent, Silver St. Cloud..., I know everyone you ever loved and everyone you will someday love. I know your whole life story, Bruce... and it's always going to be a tragedy," Prometheus tells the vigilante, "No. I won't kill them all at once. I will kill one each day, maybe each week. I will drag out your torment and their suffering... then... you'll be one wishing for death..."

"You want me to quit being Batman...?"

"No. No. No. No. Gotham City is always going to need a Batman, it's always going to need you and you, it... do as you please dark knight, just stay out of my way along with my compatriots. Sophia Falcone is not to be touched by you... that for the ensured safety of everyone you love... do. not. get. in. my. way." Prometheus stands over the vigilante, "I'll leave you to decide. Looks like you need some alone time," he vanishes through another Boom Tube and leaves Batman at the top of the mountain.

* * *

**Present Day**

**\- Gotham Undergrounds -**

Harley Quinn, now dressed in her red and black attire, her face powdered and hair split into pigtails with the tips dyed. She walks through the darkness of the room and approaches a shadowed figure sitting in the same darkness that was waiting for her. Though his face was concealed, his blood-red grin was unmistakable to her, "My dear sweet Harley... how I have missed you...did you get it...?" his yellow gloved hand is held out to the blonde.

Harley holds the tube of Lazarus to be level with the man's gaze, "Yeah, puddin'. Anythin' for ya... Oh, I just love makin' ya smile!" she chirps as she passes the tube to the man in the darkness. The man snatches it from the blonde and chuckles.

"I don't need you for that... just... watch... watch, my dear Harley...," the shadowed man takes the Lazarus test tube and pours it into an already half-full syringe containing purple liquid, "Lazarus and my toxin together... almost like Mine and Bats' very essence are colliding... oh, have I longed for this..., my next evolution... shall be his too... oh, he's going to love this...," he injects his forearm with the concoction. His veins glow bright green.

"I'll love ya too, puddin'! Maybe we can just forget about Bats for now and just-"," Harley was thrown to the floor as the shadowed man stands and backhands her. The green veins glow brighter and his eyes shoot open.

"Forget about Bats?... Not a chance... I need him now... ha, ha, ha, ha!" the man bursts out laughing as he holds his sides. Harley holds her reddened cheek as she looks up the body of the man, "He's gonna want to say Hi to the new me...," Joker laughs. His skin was fully healed but now dyed ghost-white and his lips were blood red. He has inhuman green eyes and middle-length dark green hair. He grasps his scalp with both his hands as he laughs, bleeding from his eyes, he violently swings his head back and forth like a pendulum while his laugher got louder, and louder.

"Puddin'? What's wrong? Ya okay?" Harley asks as she lifts herself back up.

"...Never better..."

"...Never Better..."

"HA!"

"HA!"

"HA!"

"HA!"

* * *

**4 Weeks Earlier... **

**\- Himalayas, Mount Everest -**

Four days, four long gruelling hard days without food and barely any water. Barely enough to keep him alive, barely anything. On his descent down the mountain, it was like he was falling through hell and all nine levels of it. Bruce can barely process any thought, harvest any recollection. Every muscle he moved, every breath that he took, every tremble. It was only to keep him alive, to keep being able to descend down. The lack of his gadgets or any climbing gear made his venture more treacherous and spells sudden doom for him.

The Batsuit's endoskeleton was busted. Broken beyond repair. A lost cause. Bruce could barely stand, prolonging his descent by much, much longer. He had to be conservative with his efforts to survive the harsh conditions. He could try to climb down in one single attempt but he wasn't a fool. He knew if he did, his doom would be an absolute. He had to use his energy wisely, slow... but low effort, maybe it wouldn't even make a difference, maybe no matter what he did, he was going to die there.

Coms are out. Same with the rest of the Batsuit's functions. The others couldn't even reach him. He wouldn't know if Lucius and the others got home safe, he would never know if he saved his friend. He had no way of knowing if his loved ones were still safe.

Batman was aware of where he was. How could he not? Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on the planet. He knew how treacherous it was. How many people who crossed paths with it have met their maker. He was still a long way from hitting the bottom. He was over half of the mountain, possibly even more. The laborious climb sent his body into shock, his body anyway. The Batsuit was designed to handle many dangers to the wearer: bullets, knives, punches, kicks, but he never thought it would be Mother Nature that was spelling his doom.

His body was cold. He could feel the frost covering the Batsuit, increasing his weight and making his descent much more challenging. He could barely recognize the colour of his suit, instead of the black, it is drowned in a coat of white, stiffening his joints. His cape was frozen in place. And Bruce could feel the frost seeping into his flesh. He knows the Batsuit could not protect him for long. In fact, he was surprised that the suit guarded him for as long as it did.

Five days now, and Bruce was barely any closer to his goal, but he is teetering towards his end. The front had broken through his suit. He can feel the beginning of frostbite taking his digits and arms. It was agony, absolute agony. He could not bring himself to stand. He was limited to crawling, thus slowing his journey even more.

Six Days.

Seven Days.

Eight Days.

Nine Days.

Ten Days.

Eleven.

Twelve.

He lost track. No food, no water. Bruce lies on his back as he looks up at the sky. His suit was frozen. He could not move any of his limbs. His stomach was aching and his throat was dry. As the days grew in number, his efforts were made even more pointless. He was still a far way off from even being halfway down the mountain. He's a dead man, he knew it was only a matter of hours before his body gave up on him. His vision was blurred and he was able to even speak.

Time passed and his eventual plummet into the abyss was nearing. His eyes slowly flutter as a blurred shadow moves into his line of view. His eyes close and his breathing ceases. The shadow moves over him, belonging to a woman. She's dressed in a black fur hood parka with a snowboarding mask to conceal her face. Black climbing boots, gloves with padded black pants. She has a grey and black climbing backpack angled around her chest in sash-style and a harness around her waist with red indents that held metallic cases around it.

She slants her neck and kneels over Batman. She sloops her arms over her knees.

* * *

**Present Day**

**Gotham, Wayne Manner**

**\- Master Bedroom -**

Bruce wakes to the warm surroundings of his bedroom. Confused and dazed by how he ended up there. He sits up, realizing that he was only wearing a pair of boxers. His body was stiff like his whole body was rusted, however, Bruce notices that he could move, just with subtle resistance. A large improvement from before. He throws the bed covers off of his body and looks towards the doors to the room, "Alfred? Alfred, are you there?" he motions to stand and turns his view to the other side of the room.

His eyes pause as they meet the back of a woman who stood out on the balcony. Her arms were folded over her chest as she basks in the rare sight of sunlight in the city. She is dressed in a black leather jacket zipped up to her sternum that has a hood that was lifted over her head, leather pants. Black boots that reach her knees. The woman also has a bandolier that was covered with throwing knives. She also has a curved blade holstered on her back.

Her head gently shifts towards the now awake man, still shielding her face from him with her hood, "Mr Pennyworth isn't here. He was long gone by even the time I first arrived here," her rosy lips curve. Bruce tenses up as he hears the woman's voice and recognises it.

"... No... that's not possible...," Bruce stammers, suddenly realizing that he could move and walk perfectly, "... I saw you die..."

"You were always naïve, just one of your many traits that bewitched my sister," the woman turns to face Bruce and pulls down her hood. Nyssa lifts her eyebrows, "Hello, Bruce. There is a matter that we must discuss," she tells him.

* * *

**\- To Be Continued… -**


	34. Diana

**Diana **

* * *

**Gotham Docks, ****Shipment Yard **

It was night in Gotham as several masked men unload wooden crates off of the back of the van. One holds his arms under the box to best support it, clearly annoyed at the weight of it "What the hell does that bitch want with these things anyway?," he curses as he lowers the box down with the others, "I swear she has been busting our backs over the dumbest of stuff," he walks back to collect another crate, stepping over multiple bodies on his way.

"Quiet. We're on her payroll now which means we do what she says. Don't be a baby, just lift with your knees!," another thug comes over to grab a crate of his own, "Let's not get started on that guy that she's working with. He scares me."

"I used to work for Sionis, y'know? Sure he could be a dick sometimes... but he just had me guard his penthouse. Sofia is working me to death," a third guy chimes in.

"Keep on yapping and she'll just skip to making you dead," the second man unloads crate atop of the others.

"What the hell is even in these things?" the first thug questions, not noticing the shadowed figures moving from above. He stops when multiple arrows are shot through his chest. He drops to the ground and the two other masked men are alerted.

"What the hell-," the second goon is slain when an arrow is shot through his right eye,

The last man drops the crate and runs for it but is stopped when an arrow is pierced through both of his calves. He is thrown onto the ground and desperately crawls away. Another pair of arrows are fired and pin his hands to the ground, he screams. Three shadowed figures leap down and make their way to the man's front.

"Man of Gotham speak only of what we ask of you if you wish to live," a raven-haired woman decrees as she holds the tip of her blade to the man's chin. She has blue eyes and wears a crimson metallic chest plate and silver bracelets with golden accents, red metallic knee-high boots with a silver lining. She has a sword holstered on her back along with a quiver of arrows and bow. She wears a silver crown and leather straps around her bare legs and arms and has a red cape. The woman appeared to be of Greek descent.

The second figure, a redhead woman who wears golden armour and the third, a blonde who wears the same golden armour. They both wore quivers and bows on their backs. The raven-haired woman kneels, "I am Diana of Themyscira. There's a man in this city, one who is scarred on his left eye. Where. Is. He?," she reaches to her left thigh and takes hold a lasso which she wraps around the man's neck, "I command you to answer...," the lasso faintly glows golden.

"T-the guy who is working with my boss...? Sure, I know where he is! Find Sofia Falcone and he should be with her!," the man explains in a panic, "I'm not in the know of where he goes off on his own, I swear! I swear!"

"I believe your words...," Diana softens her grip on the lasso and untangles it from the man's neck, "But you've still seen too much. Man's world must never know of us...," she stands and walks away while the redhead reaches for an arrow in her quiver and aims her bow at the back of the man's head.

"Please don't kill me! Please!" the guy pleads. Diana walks away, rocking her hips with each step she takes. She hears the other amazon fire the arrow at the man and hears his screams silenced. The two other amazons follow after her, each taking a side.

"This is man's world... don't let any witnesses live," Diana orders, anger filling her eyes.

* * *

**Blackgate Prison **

**\- Visiting Room -**

James Gordon looks at the glass and the individual sitting on the opposite end. He holds the phone against his ear, "Things aren't getting easier out there. Every day there are more people dying, suffering and becoming even more lost in fear. The underworld of Gotham is growing in power, Waller and her men aren't helping. They've turned Gotham into a police state... I really could use some advice on this, you were one of the most honourable cops I've ever known. I want to stop Waller... but she has my family at her mercy, even if she didn't; I don't think that I could...," Jim tells the inmate, "Batman. He is the only one who could stop her, but he promotes the same kind of lawlessness that Waller thrives in... what should I do?"

"You appear to be caught between a rock and a hard place. I do not envy your position right now," Nathaniel Barnes replies, "Whichever you choose will betray your values. You know how I feel about vigilantes, they've been propping up all around the place lately..."

"The Tetch Virus was cured from your system. Those things you did were not your fault," Gordon confronts the older man, "As far as the law is concerned, you're innocent. I could really use a friendly face out there... and with your parole hearing coming up..."

"The tech virus only brought all of my darkness to the surface. It was always there, all those things I did... were me, the darkest parts of me. I don't care what the laws says... those things I did... I deserve to rot for them."

"You respected the law, Barnes. You actively tried to preserve it. Just tell me, what would you do? What would you do to save this city?"

"I would try not to lose myself on the way, James. But you're not me. Sometimes you have to get over your pride and see the bigger picture. That vigilante friend of yours could be your best bet, the city's too. Don't let personal vendettas get in the way of saving Gotham," Barnes offers, "Instead of asking me, you should be asking yourself: what would James Gordon do is such adversity? You're scared for your family, I understand that... but if this city keeps teetering on the edge… it'll eventually fall and take everyone with it, including your family."

* * *

**Wayne Manner**

"... No... that's not possible...," Bruce stammers, suddenly realizing that he could move and walk perfectly, "... I saw you die..."

"You were always naïve, just one of your many traits that bewitched my sister," the woman turns to face Bruce and pulls down her hood. Nyssa lifts her eyebrows, "Hello, Bruce. There is a matter that we must discuss," she tells him.

"How. Are. You. Alive.," Bruce growls, too angry to bothered by the woman's gaze on his bare body, "You were dead. Not even the Lazarus can bring you back from that."

Nyssa unfolds her arms and hangs them at her sides, "From what I recall, my body was never recovered from that church. Do you honestly believe that I would not have a plan for my doom? No, the Lazarus is not to be credited for my resurrection... but I discovered other means"

"Like what?"

"The same method that brought you back into the land of the living. You were dead, Bruce. I resurrected you and healed your wounds, a simple *thank you* shouldn't be out of the question, would it?," Nyssa steps towards Bruce, "But that will come in due time. For the moment, we have more pressing matters that require our attention," she lifts her gaze to the man's eyes, "It appears that we share a common foe. One that we cannot defeat by ourselves."

"Prometheus?" Bruce slants his view down to meet Nyssa.

"Indeed. The most peculiar of monikers. Though I chose to use his true name: Vandal Savage," Nyssa marvels at the break of the man's stern gaze, "The news of my death was helpful in many ways. I was allowed to conduct research in absolute secrecy. Not even he would waste time looking for a dead woman, I learned his true name, his plan and all his weaknesses. I know how to kill him."

"Kill him?," Bruce chuckles, "You can't even hurt him. I've tried... I tried to take him down... but nothing worked."

"Well that's because... well... you're a complete bitch when it comes to doing what needs to be done," the oldest daughter to the demon clenches her palm into a fist, "Make no mistake. Though I offer you an alliance, we are not friends. And don't even think of trying to get me in bed with you. Whatever problems we had before, we must work together to save Gotham."

"Work with you? You're a murderer... you're a monster, Nyssa. You manipulated Thomas and corrupted him. He's dead because of you!"

"514A was always going to die. He was a flawed experiment. He would've died eventually," Nyssa smiles, "You need me, Bruce. So I suggest you start treating me with the respect I deserve." she lifts her palm and stretches her arm out towards Bruce, "Me and you... saving the city. Who would've foreseen the irony..."

"I'm not shaking your hand" Bruce spits.

"You're a gentleman, Bruce. I was hoping for a more chivalrous display...," Nyssa jests to her hand, "I can just leave and take all the information that I have gathered with me. Go on. I won't tell my dear sister...," Nyssa's eyes round as Bruce cups her hand and kisses the dorsal side, "Good. I am glad that you are willing to share my humiliation in this matter."

"Don't get comfortable, Nyssa. As soon as this is over, I am coming for you," Bruce threatens.

"Feeling's mutual. Get dressed... and then we can continue this in that oversized man cave of yours," Nyssa picks up a pile of folded clothes and hands them over to Bruce, "Don't act too surprised. I've had over a month to learn all the secrets of this place."

"A month? I've been out for a month?" Bruce widens his gaze as he takes the folded clothes from Nyssa, "What happened to Lucius and the others? Are they safe?"

Nyssa shrugs, "They're alive if that's what you ask of me. However, their position on that island is anything but safe. Hurry, we have no time to waste."

* * *

**Skylight Club**

Vandal Savage stands, holdings his arms behind his back. His brown hair is combed back and tied in a ponytail with multiple loose strands of his hair pressed against his face. He wears a black Victorian tailcoat jacket that is buttoned up to his collar bone with the collar of the coat popped. He has multiple silver rings, all in the shape of animals: wolf, bear, Snake and crow. A sheathed sword rests at his side. He looks out through the glass window and to the city.

He spurs from his watch as he hears a distressed Sofia Falcone enter the room, huffing and storming to him, "The shipment last night was compromised! I just lost millions! And three of my men are dead! AND they were murdered by bloody arrows!," she lifts her arms to show Vandal that she was holding one of the bloodstained arrows as she slams it on the desk, "First Batman and now this...!? I traded one inconvenience for another!"

"Troubled, my child?," Savage turns, arms still behind his back and he looks at the markings on the arrowhead, "This is fortuitous. It appears that the hands of fate and I are finally in agreement for once."

"*Fortuitous*?, what part of this is fortuitous? Three of my men are dead!" Sofia yells.

"Watch your tongue. Your men can be replenished... my patience for you cannot," Vandal reaches down and lifts up the arrow.

"Fine.," Sofia calms before she addresses him again, "What are we going to do about this? We need to find them and kill them."

"An erroneous misjudgement my dear. We need not lift a finger in this matter, they'll come to me...," Vandal Savage lifts his gaze to Sofia, "You best not be here for when they do."

"Like hell. I want to see them die...!"

"My child, I offered you a place at my side not because of my admiration for you but as a sign of respect. But do not misconstrue my intentions, we are not equals in matters. You are insignificant in these affairs of mine," Vandal returns to face the window, "Leave me to my devices, young one. I have no further use for you right now."

"You. Better. Kill. Them.," Sofia grinds her teeth.

"I will do as I please, now leave," Savage holds his hands behind his back, "Need I remind you that you still have not delivered on your end of our agreement? Only return when you deliver the knife to me"

* * *

**Wayne Tower **

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

"This is the best that I could do," Lee sets a sealed plastic bag on the workbench next to Lucius which held an arrowhead in it, "Elliot is watching me like a hawk these days. I think he's caught onto me taking evidence from the reports," she looks to Lucius as he pulls on a pair of gloves and opens the bag, taking out the arrowhead. Lucius lifts the arrowhead up and studies the unique engravings on it, "I'm quite sure that Jim has never come across some whack-job who uses these kinds of arrows," Lee adds.

"Bruce neither... the craftsmanship is astounding...," Lucius turns the arrowhead, "Say you wouldn't have got the autopsy report?"

Lee reaches into her back and takes a laminated sheet, "Of course. Already putting my job on the line, what's a little more? Tommy performed these ones personally, it says that all the shots were clean: this was a pro," she looks over the report, "There were three victims in total... all connected to the Falcone crime family. The first two were dealt lethal blows but the third was only subdued, kept alive until the perpetrator changed their mind and finished the job."

"You think it was interrogation? Could explain why the guy wasn't just killed like the others. Once the person behind this got what they wanted, they killed him anyway," Lucius then flips the arrowhead over once more, "These markings are not like anything that I have seen before plus whatever this arrowhead is made of, it definitely is not like any metal that I've seen before," he leaves Lee's side and heads towards the Batcomputer and slides it under the scanner, "Maybe the database can find something that we are missing..."

Lee folds her arms over her chest and Lucius slides his hands into his jacket's pockets, "...What's it saying?" Lee sees the screen glitch. Lucius hurries forward and examines the problem, "Is it supposed to do that?"

"No. Not at all. The Batcomputer's systems are being disrupted, interfered with by the arrowhead. It didn't pick up any sign of technology, so there should be nothing that should be able to mess with it on this scale," Lucius informs Lee, "It's origin is untraceable."

"By computers maybe, but not good ol' fashioned books," Lee suggests.

"Are you proposing what I think that you are?" Lucius only has to see the look in Lee's eyes to confirm his suspicions.

"What? Blüd seems to know his stuff. If there's anyone in this city that would know where this thing came from, it's him. And since Talia is MIA, we don't have much of an alternative here," Lee presses her palms together, "Listen. We find out where this arrowhead came from, we are one step closer to finding the murderer."

"It would be what Bruce would want," Lucius agrees as he grabs the arrowhead, "I'll drive."

"I'll give Selina a call, she might want to know about this."

"It's still daytime, Lee. I think Selina can have a day to herself."

* * *

**Gotham, Wayne Manner.**

**\- Batcave -**

Bruce and Nyssa walk out of the elevator and head towards the Batcomputer. The daughter of the demon's eyes wanders over a small briefcase set on one of the tables. She saunters to it and opens it, "As I scouted all across the globe for the answers that I seek, I came to know many truths. But there was always one part missing. One part of the puzzle that eluded me," she takes out the photograph of the meteor, "Luckily for us, you have already found it,"

"That?," Bruce snatches the photo from the woman, "I took this from Sofia Falcone last year. I chalked it up to just being something valuable on the black market."

"And what of the image being captured by your own satellite? Surely that must've raised some questions?," Nyssa smiles, "I'm positive that Wayne Enterprise isn't in the market of observing space rocks. There is someone inside your company that's doing some very naughty things."

"You think that someone is using my company?"

"How else would they have gained access to the satellite? It's quite simple, please try to keep up," Nyssa scoots over as Bruce comes closer to the table, ''Savage is using your satellite to track the meteor. He must be using means to magnetize it to this planet. And it's landing destination."

"Gotham. I know. Why the hell would he be going through all this effort for a meteor?"

"That is a card that I'm going to be keeping close to my chest for the time being. For now, you are required back in the city. With Batman back in Gotham, it will gift me with the necessary cover to conduct further research into this matter," she closes the briefcase and turns to Bruce, "We will be seeing each other soon. I trust that you will keep the detail of me being alive just between us, I cannot risk anyone else knowing of me."

"What are you getting out of this, Nyssa? Before, you would've destroyed Gotham at any chance that you got. And now you are going out of your way to save it? I'm not foolish enough to believe that you turned over a new leaf... you are planning on getting something out this, aren't you?" Wayne glares.

"You have your reasons and I have mine. I never claimed to be some good Samaritan," the woman pulls her hood back over, "Your Halloween costume was ruined beyond repair when I came across you on that mountain, thus I took a few liberties. I hope that you are not too bothered," she jests her head at the console of the Batcomputer which Bruce follows as his eyes lock onto another briefcase on the side. He approaches the console of the computer and unlocks the case.

He opens it and sees what's inside. A costume, a Batsuit seemingly made from thin materials. A grey suit with a black cowl and cape. He pulls the costume out and observes the finer detail of its workings. Black gloves and boots along with a golden metallic utility belt around the hips of the costume. The ears were longer, probably by a third than his last Batsuit. Nyssa walks behind him with her hands on her hips, "Kevlar embedded material with light-weight nanofiber. You will be faster, deadlier and a true force to be reckoned with."

"And you're just giving me this? Wait... how did you get my exact measurements... wait... did you measure my..." Bruce asks Nyssa in a sceptical tone.

"Your previous costumes were too focused on your technology, you became dependant on it and without it, you were a joke. A true League of Shadow's member has no need for armour when they were taught to be untouchable," Nyssa smiles wider, "And yes, I did indeed take the time to measure every part of you to make the suit an exact match. You know that I like to be thorough in my work, now suit up. There seems to be something quite extradentary going on... you best look into it before you return to your friends...," Nyssa turns and walks towards the elevator, "I'll leave you to be for now"

Bruce pulls on the black gloves. He slides on the boots up to his shins and lifts the cowl over his face. He then clipped the metallic golden belt around his hips. The eyes of cowl glow white, though slightly dimmer compared to the previous suit. Batman stands in the black and grey suit. The gloves have three thins on the side along with a vertical partner and silver armour running across the knuckles of the gloves. His cape reached down to the floor, narrowing in size halfway down. The cape droops around his shoulders but leaves the Bat Symbol bare and visible. The symbol itself was the most armoured section and had harsher edges and is nearly the width of his whole chest.

* * *

**Gotham City, Skylight Club**

The raven-haired Amazon, Diana, the redheaded amazon, Orana and the blonde Amazon, Antiope slay their way through the hallway leading to the main office. Wielding their bows and firing their arrows into the guards before them. The three warriors mercilessly take down their enemies, one by one. Diana's eyes were full of rage as she takes another bow from her quiver and fires it at one of the last remaining guards, firing the arrow into the man's neck.

Diana then charges forward and yields her sword and decapitates him in a single swing, "Sisters with me. We will avenge our queen together!," she returns her blade to her back and uncaringly walks on the corpses below them with Orana and Antiope following her lead. The redhead fires an arrow into the last man standing, sending it through his eye and into the wall behind him, "Now!," Diana lifts her knee and kicks the door, sending it off its hinges.

"For Hippolyta!" Orana, Antiope and Diana all declare. They come across the sight of a man whose back was turned to them, "Vandal Savage, for your crimes against Themyscira you are there for sentenced to death!," Diana and the two other Amazons raise their bows and align arrows with them.

"Death? Trivial to a man such as myself. Though I supposed that I should show my gratitude towards you... the enchantment on the island made it impossible for me to find it...," Vandal Savage turns to confront the three Amazons, still keeping his hands behind him, "Killing your mother made you come to me instead, though I am curious on just how you became aware of my location? What was it...? Ah... two years ago since I slew your mother..."

"And today is when I slay you!," Diana reaches for her sword, "With me sisters!," Orana and Antiope join Diana as they charge towards Vandal who reaches for the hilted sword on his side. He ducks under the first swing of Diana's sword and uses his sword to block Antiope's blade, spins out of the way of Orana's swing. Vandal moves in front of Diana and catches her blade in his hand. He throws her over his shoulder and onto the ground. He then side-steps an attack from Orana and uses his blade to slash her sides.

He then sees Antiope going in for another attack with her sword. He brings his hand up and grabs the blonde's left wrist and twists her arm to instead impale her on her own blade. Vandal kicks Antiope to the floor and then sees Diana once again attacking, this time at the man's side. Vandal slouches and catches the raven-haired beauty's arm and rolls her over his back. He kicks backwards at Orana which throws her against the desk.

He then turns on his heels and thrusts his sword through Orana's chest The redhead's mouth dribbles with blood as her eyes widen. Vandal Savage shakes his head and yanks his sword out of the woman and allows her to fall to the ground. Diana stands, seeing both of allies now lost, "You killed them! Murderer!," Diana swings with her sword. Vandal lifts his own sword to block the strike. They repeat their parts with Diana attacking and Vandal effortless defending.

"Their fates were sealed the moment they decided to walk through that door, child. To think that they could match me is a death sentence all on its own...," Vandal uses one hand to manoeuvre his blade to block the Amazon's attacks "Though your ways are of the gods, even they are in their infancy compared to me," he swings his blade and knocks Diana's own sword out of her hold. Vandal then swings down with his blade which the Amazon lifts her arms and blocks the strike with her bracelets.

"...You killed my mother... without mercy or remorse...," Diana growls, "... I want to know why... why would you commit such an act of war against my people?!"

"Your mother was a magnificent woman, young one. A strong, powerful yet compassionate leader who strived for prosperity. As such I saw to it that she died as she lived... kneeling before a god," Vandal sombrely tells the amazon, "While she sat on her knees before me, gasping her last breath and pleading for her life, she did not struggle for her own survival, but for yours," he sees Diana's face becoming more enraged, "... You coming here to face me only undoes her final moments, the strength she showed to throw away her pride for the sake of begging for her daughter's life..."

"I won't die as easily... I demand justice for your crimes!" Diana snarls.

"Naïve child, if I wanted you dead... you would be. No... I have plans for you. When I figured that you would be coming for me, I took it upon myself to invite some acquittances of yours, they were happy to come and catch up with you," Vandal yanks his sword away and turns on his heels. Before Diana could understand what he was refereeing to, a blurred object tackles her and throws her through the window to the floor. Diana takes a moment to regain her composure and then sees the culprit.

A woman with long bright-red hair dressed in silver armour with black knee-high boots and gloves with falcon-like wings. Her fingers were sharpened like talons. She holds her arms around Diana's neck from behind as she flies them towards the ground and the building across, "Kapatelis? Doing the bidden of a man... how far you've fallen!" Diana hisses as she brings her arms up and grabs the redhead's hair. Silver Swan smiles as she hurls the amazon princess off of her and onto the roof on the building below them.

Diana's strength made it so she was unscathed by the drop but the roof she fell on was cracked. Diana jumps onto her feet and grabs her bow from her back along with an arrow from her quiver. She fires at Vanessa who evades the attacks as she manoeuvres through the air and laughs at the princess, "What's wrong your highness? Do you need your guards to aim for you?" Silver Swan continues to mock Diana as she then begins dive bomb her.

Diana grabs the shield strapped around her forearm and holds it against Silver Swan who easily prowls through it and throws Diana onto the ground with the impact. The villainess than spirals around and repeats the action, this time faster than Diana could lift her shield. The Amazon was thrown against the ledge of the roof, sinking her heels in the ground to keep herself on it, "You dare strike a daughter of the gods? You shall be punished for this atrocity!" Diana yells.

"Then fight me, your majesty!" Silver Swan laughs, curving her lips and raising her right arm, ejecting three razor-sharp claws. She flies through the air and torpedoes her way down to Diana, "Allow for your last moments to be of bravery!" Diana's eyes narrow as she throws her shield, just missing the villainess, "Hah! You missed, such a waste of a warrior!" Silver Swan is then struck from behind as the shield knocks her off course and returns to Diana.

In the confusion, Diana grabs her lasso and wraps it around Silver Swan's neck and yanks her down onto the roof with her. The Amazon stomps her boot on Silver Swan's back and forces her to lie below her. Her grip on the lasso tightens and the rope starts to glow, "I command you to cease this madness! Why would Vandal bring you here to fight me!."

Silver Swan lets a small chuckle out as she looks up to Diana, "He didn't. He brought us to fight you."

"Us?"

Diana was then thrown forward as she feels something sharp cut into her back, "Oh little naïve Diana, how long I've waited for this moment...," a familiar voice rings through her ears. The raven-haired amazon turns her gaze to the woman above her. A woman who was covered in fur, like a cheetah with messy auburn hair down to her beck. She has a tail and wears a black sports bra along with a pair of shorts. She kneels on the ground and licks her lips, "Ah... the fear on you... smells delicious..."

"Minerva...? You too are fallen to the commands of a man? And I believed that you couldn't stoop any lower...," Diana begins to stand but is stopped when Silver Swan brings her arms around her neck and holds her back. Diana's blue eyes look to Cheetah who was slowly sauntering to her as she rakes her claws.

"I only do what I desire, and killing you falls upon that list...," Cheetah grins as she drags one of her claws across Diana's cheek, cutting it, "You are a far way from home. Your people can't save you here," she whispers as she prolongs her words like a snake constricting its prey.

"Just kill her now, Cheetah. Get it over and done with!" Venessa tells Minerva.

"No. She must suffer for what she did to me!," Cheetah growls.

"Still blaming me for your condition, Minerva? You are stuck in that form because of your own greed. The outside just matches the inside...," Diana sees the shift in the animal-like villainess' expression, from delight to anger in a flash, "And you, Venessa. Your mother took me in all those years ago... we were grown as siblings under her roof," she feels the woman behind her reinforce her hold around her neck. Silver Swan laughs as she looks to Cheetah.

"We were never sisters, Diana. Everyone saw me as inferior to you... even myself," Venessa growls.

"For once we agree," Diana moves her head out of the reach of a strike from Cheetah, which struck Silver Swan instead. The Amazon rolls out of the way of another strike from Cheetah and again. Diana catches the fourth strike from the beast-like woman and bends her arm behind her back. Diana then throws Cheetah into Venessa who uses her wings to knock Cheetah away from her. Silver Swan jumps into the air, ascending up with the wings of her suit.

"Fight as hard as you desire, Diana. You are only fighting the inevitable!" Silver Swan warns the Amazon Princess.

"Indeed. You cannot take us both on!," Cheetah squats down and rakes her claws, "You shall suck on your last breath here!"

"Wrong. It is you two that you meet your maker this day!," Diana grabs her shield and blade and squares up before Cheetah and Silver Swan. The three stop when they see a bat-shaped object fly between them to get their attention. Diana, Cheetah and Silver Swan look up to the water tower on the roof and sees a creature standing on top of it. Batman stands with his arms held at his sides and cape swerving in the wind as the sun sets behind him.

"**Nice costumes. You'll feel right at home in Arkham**," Batman snarls, unaware of the three woman's true nature.

"What sort of creature is that?" Diana questions as she observes the bat-themed individual, unclear of what he really was.

"A... Bat-man...?," Cheetah comments, clearly amused.

* * *

**To Be Continued... **

**A/N: **

**At this point in her career, Diana has not yet taken up the moniker of Wonder Woman, nor has met any other Justice League members. **


	35. Themyscira

**Themyscira**

* * *

**Themyscira**

**\- Many Years Ago -**

Themyscira, a beautiful archipelago full of life. The sun shines brightly upon the middle island. The sky was bright blue and without a single cloud. Diana, dressed in a white dress straddles a horse along with an older woman with the same raven hair. Hippolyta wears a light purple dress and crown. Both women lookout to the outstretches of the island and out into the ocean. They take in the gentle sounds of the ocean not too far from them, observing the soft waves. Diana closes her eyes to fully appreciate the sounds of nature.

"Diana, Is something bothering you?" the Queen of Themyscira asks her daughter.

Diana slowly opens her eyes, "It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Hippolyta ganders, lifting an eyebrow, "Throughout the ages, I have learned that *nothing* can often be quite important in some aspects, my daughter. Nothing: neither good or bad. It just is... it's something that cannot hurt you, yet important enough to know. So tell me, just what is on your mind, Diana?"

Diana turns to her mother, "Do you ever wonder that if you are to continuously follow the teachings you were brought up to believe, that you are obligated to keep your conviction... even when you are to have doubts about those same teachings?" the younger amazon asks as her hair is gently blown by the breeze.

"Hmm," Hippolyta thinks over her daughter's question, "Diana, this newfound reluctance of yours wouldn't be related to that man who crashed here? I believed that I made myself clear on this matter. We are not to interfere with man's world, just as they are not to be involved with ours," she answers.

"Steve was not as you declared men to be. He was an honourable soldier with an even more honourable heart. He showed me that we no longer need to fear the outside world. The world has changed," Diana stops when she sees the turmoil grow on her mother's face.

"The man was indeed different from what I experienced, but one good man out of the countless millions is nothing to be hopeful about, Diana. Do you think we went into solitude because of one single *bad* man? No. Man's world was far ruled by war-hungry savages," Hippolyta firms her eyebrows, "So if it did not take a single bad man to drive us into separation from the outside world, why should we come out of that separation because of a single good one?"

"Because we need to have hope. How are we ever going to learn if we can reconnect with the world when you refuse to even try?"

"I know you yearn for that man, Diana. But remember, one day you are going to take my place as the amazon's queen and till then, I am to make the commands. You need to serve your own people before you become enslaved to your heart," the older Amazon replies.

* * *

**Present Day**

**New Jersey, Gotham City**

"What sort of creature are you?" Cheetah licks her lips and extends her claws as she looks to the caped crusader on the water tower, "Leave us be. You have no place in this matter of ours." Silver Swan descends down, her feet less than an inch off of the ground.

"We do not want to cause trouble with the people of man's world. Let us kill her and we'll happily leave," Silver Swan curves her left leg.

Diana looks to the masked man, annoyed at his sudden presence, "I care not of your reason to be here. Stand between us and you will die," the amazon warns as she sees Silver Swan and Cheetah turn their attention back to her. She grabs her sword, "Minerva! Let's finish this! No such creature like him shall save you!"

"You are the one in the need of saving, princess...," Cheetah charges at Diana who also runs towards the animal-like woman with Silver Swan following behind. Venessa stops when she feels a cable wrap around her boot. She looks behind her and sees Batman as the culprit. The Dark Knight holds the Batclaw in hand and pulls her down. He quickly disconnects the cable from the gadget and ties it around one of the beams of the Water Tower. Silver Swan's eyes narrow as she rakes her claws and easily slashes through the cable; releasing her from the hold.

"You dare defile me? I'll have your head, beast," Silver Swan yells, still thinking that Batman was a true creature of the night. Batman straightens his posture and holds his hand out, jesting it to dare Venessa into attacking. The redhead snarls as she divebombs at Batman.

The vigilante throws down several small pellets and escapes within a cloud smoke. Silver Swan prowls through the smoke and is sent into a coughing fit. She covers her mouth and closes her eyes, "This isn't smoke! What the hell is this...?!," she gasps. She lands and moves her hands over her swelling eyes as a shadowed figure moves behind her. Batman wears an oxygen mask to shield himself from the gas. He creeps up behind the redhead, Venessa picks up on the man approaching and jumps to her feet.

She slashes at the vigilante who ducks and evades all of the attacks, "My senses are tuned far beyond my sight, beast! I am a killing machine!" she arches her back and screams which unleashes a sonic-like blast. Batman was thrown far away from her, being thrown off of the roof and left to hang on the ledge. Silver Swan grins as she dashes towards the hanging man, flying over and settling back down next to his hands. She presses her heel against the man's hands.

"Wait... don't tell me that... you are just a man...?" Silver Swan humours, "How disappointing...," she lifts her heel and stomps down. Before her foot could land, Batman willingly released his grip on the ledge and falls. Silver Swan scowls as she sees the caped crusader grapple across to the next building over, "Oh no you don't!" Venessa takes off, leaving a crater and spirals towards the vigilante. She tackles Batman through the air and breaks through the next building's windows.

Meanwhile, Diana blocks a swipe from Cheetah and grabs onto the woman's head and slams it down on her knee, "You cannot win, Minerva. End this madness whilst you still have some dignity left," she evades a punch from Cheetah, blocks a swipe of her claws and stops one of her kicks.

"I am ending this. Just as you wish," Cheetah lunges at Diana who flies out of the range of her attack. The now flying Diana glares down at the villainess as she slams her bracelets together and knocks Cheetah back with a shockwave. Diana hurries after the villainess, flying after her and right-hooking her. Cheetah spits blood and slashes at the amazon. Diana blocks the strikes with her bracelets and returning with her own blows. Diana uppercuts Cheetah and knocks her onto her back.

The raven-haired Amazon descends down and stands her boot over Cheetah's chest to pin her down, "We have fought many times before and each time you've lost. What made you believe that this time would wield another result?," she reaches her sides and grabs her lasso and wraps it around the beast-women's neck, "You were always delusional, Minerva but never to this scale. Why would you think of teaming up with Venessa after what you did to her? Do you have no shame?"

"The only shame I feel is being bested by you...like a hell that I can never escape from...," Cheetah growls.

"Then by all means... allow me to release you from your torment...," Diana reaches to her sword and presses it against Cheetah's neck.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

**Across Gotham**

**\- Jason Blüd's Study -**

"Can you help us or not?" Lee asks as she looks to Blüd who is sitting behind his desk. The auburn-haired man rubs his eyes before he reluctantly reaches over to the Arrowhead. He holds it closer and looks at the engravings. Lee begins to worry as she sees a sudden wave of fear wash over Jason's face, "Everything okay?" Lucius stands behind Lee and closer to the door leading out of the study. Blüd removes his glasses and looks to Lee.

"These markings appear to be Themysciran in origin," Blüd turns the arrowhead over, "This could be a problem."

"Wind back a sec, Them-o-what?," Lucius intrudes, "I've never heard of any place with that name."

"I'm with Lucius here, I haven't heard anything about a place named that either," Lee folds her arms, "I'm not claiming to be a Geologist but I would remember a city or country having that name."

"That's because it's an island. Throughout the millennia and a half that I walked this earth, I've only heard whispers. I've never seen Themyscira nor been there myself. If it really does exist then that means the rest of the legends are true," Jason stands and grabs his glasses, "Which would mean we all could be in trouble."

"...I'm going to regret asking this... but why...?" Lucius inquires as he comes closer to the desk.

"Word is that the Themyscirans like to keep to themselves. Have done for centuries... for them to suddenly come out of their self-isolation, well... they could mean to declare war against the rest of the world. They are more fierce than any army you've seen... they are bad news," Blüd answers.

"We tried looking at that arrowhead with our tech but it just glitched out. it couldn't make heads or tails of it" Lee brings to Jason's attention.

"That's because it's infused with powers of which you have little understand of" Blüd answers, "Magic."

"D-did you just say... magic? C'mon... that's ridiculous," Lucius refuses to believe Blüd.

"Anymore ridiculous than a magic pool that can heal any wound, a walking/talking crocodile man, or a guy who is surrounded by all kinds of women but chooses to spend his time dressed as a bat? Face it, Mr Fox. The world is much larger than you believe. There are forces out there, forces that will change your whole perception of reality," Blüd answers as he puts his glasses back on, "I believe its best that we continue this conversation back at the Bunker..."

"Why?" Lee asks.

Blüd drops his head, "There is more that requires discussion."

* * *

**Elsewhere **

Batman and Silver Swan crash through the top floor's windows and land upon a conference table occupied by businessmen who all run at the sight. Silver Swan's wings retract into her suit as she straddles Batman with one hand on his throat and her other hand raised up and claws extended, "No powers either?" she lifts an eyebrow, "You believed a weakling like you could take me on? Typical of you men...," she slams down her hand down at the vigilante's face.

Batman moves his head and avoids the metal claws that cut through the table. Silver Swan than unleashes another sonic-like scream at the man, breaking the table around them and making them fall onto the debris as she keeps up the scream. All the glass around them and the windows all shatter in sync. Batman shoves multiple small pellets into Venessa's mouth which explode with gas and sends her off of him. Her wings assert outward as she flies upward and looks back to Batman.

The Dark Knight grabs a Batarang and hurls it at the redhead who lets out another scream to send it back to him, the sonic blast hits the Batarang and it explodes and throws both Batman and Silver Swan. The vigilante is thrown at the end of the room while Venessa was sent out of the broken windows. Batman grabs onto his right shoulder as he heads towards the windows and looks down at the streets. He then sees Silver Swan ascend.

The winged villainess growls, "You...dare...," she swipes Batman up by the cape and flies back towards the previous rooftop. Once there, she throws Batman at Diana. The Dark Knight is thrown into the amazon. Diana looks to Silver Swan while Cheetah under her smirks. Batman falls less than a metre away from Diana who feels a sudden pain in her sides. Looking down, Diana sees Cheetah had stuck her claws deep below her flesh on both sides, covering the animalistic woman's hands in blood.

A small puddle of crimson forms from the blood dripping from the woman's wounds. Diana's eyes widen and lets go of her sword, "No, Diana. It is I who will release you," Cheetah flashes a wide grin as she sinks her claws deeper into the woman, "Or more accurately... - *we*!," Diana then gasps as five armoured claws extrude out of her left shoulder from behind, during the time she was focused on Cheetah, Silver Swan had got behind her.

Silver Swan brings her arm from behind around the Amazon's neck while she keeps her right hand's claws in place through her, "Venessa never could bring herself to do this. She saw you like a sister... she was so naïve. Not like me who sees you like the pathetic warrior that you are...," the redhead grins, Cheetah stands up and pulls her claws out of Diana. Silver Swan does the same, ripping her claws back out of the Amazon's shoulder and grabbing hold of Diana's hair.

"Tell me, princess...," Cheetah cups Diana's chin in her hand and leans in closer, "How does it feel knowing that your body shall never be berried on Themyscira? You will be forever lost...," her pupils narrow into slits as she raises her arm up high and rakes her claws, the sunlight flashing off them, "Would you kindly?" she asks the winged villainess. Silver Swan pulls on Diana's hair and yanks her head back, giving a clear view of the woman's throat.

Cheetah licks her lips then goes in for a swipe of her claws with a hiss. Cheetah stops when a bat-shaped object is thrown through her hand. Simultaneously, another Batarang is thrown at Silver Swan's head, knocking her over onto the ground. Cheetah snarls as she backflips away and rips out the Batarang out of her hand with her teeth. Diana turns to the source of the objects and sees Batman near the ledge of the roof grabbing another pair of Batarangs, "**Enough with this, the three of you. I'm taking you in**,"

"Back off!" Diana yells as she holds her sides with one hand and retrieves her blade with her other, "THIS IS MY FIGHT!"

"**Tough. This is my** **city**," Batman looks at Cheetah leaps at him, claws ready and fangs on display. Silver Swan jolts back up and looks to Batman. She takes off and charges at the vigilante. Batman jumps back to avoid a swipe of Cheetah's claws. He then kicks his knee up to block the beast-woman's own kick. She then goes to slash her claws again. Batman lifts the pair of Batarangs in his grip and catches her claws between the points of the object. He turns the Batarangs to tilt Cheetah off balance. He then quickly turns, taking Cheetah along for the ride and throws her at the upcoming Silver Swan; knocking them into each other in one swoop, "**This is my playground**."

Cheetah stands and growls, "There's something strange about this one, he's different. I can smell it on him, he's not a servant of a god... he's the emissary of a demon. I can taste the darkness within him... it's delicious...," Cheetah eyes over the vigilante, her eyes glow as she sees a dark mist casting off of the man. She launches at Batman and slashes at him.

"She's strong, she's fast, she's agile, she's... she's impossible," Batman thinks to himself as he barely dodges the villainess's attacks, "These aren't costumes. These aren't just women. They're not human. This cheetah-lady isn't human... Minerva is what the others call her, right? She has a human name, she talks human. Kinda like Clark... but she's trying to kill me. Same with *Vanessa*. She appears human but she's wearing armour unlike anything that I've seen before... she's also referring to herself in third-person, but is showing disdain too, could be a sign of split personality..., she could hate this *Venessa* personality," The Dark Knight continues to ponder.

Batman narrowly evades another of Cheetah's attacks. The beast-woman's claws cut through the roof with ease. She turns to Batman and grins, "C'mon sugar. You aren't afraid to hit a woman, are you?" she lunges at him and hisses, "You can't evade me forever," she pounces at him.

Batman's eyes narrow, "Claws - check. Expert agility - check. Martial arts prowess - check. non-Human or not... she's not the first cat-woman I've come across. I know how to take her out, I've planned for it," Batman evades another swipe of Minerva's claws. He reaches behind her and presses down on the back of Cheetah's neck. He then throws her over his shoulders and on the floor, "Vagus Nerves, they regulate breathing and heartbeat. If you apply enough pressure; you can bring about a state of indefinite paralysis, even unconsciousness if done right."

Silver Swan ascends up and flies towards Batman but is stopped as a lasso is thrown around her ankle. The redhead looks behind her and sees an airborne Diana throw a punch her way. The Amazon knocks the winged villainess away from her. Silver Swan snarls as she regains her posture and strikes at Diana. The Amazon blocks the redhead's claws with her bracelets, "Wings or not. Did you not learn that flying too close to the sun is dangerous?" Diana questions which antagonized Silver Swan to unleash a sonic scream right at her.

Diana moves out of the blast-range. She unties the lasso from Silver Swan's leg and throws it around the redhead's neck. She then rapidly wraps the other end around her wrist to draw Silver Swan in closer to her. Diana then winds up her bare knees and kicks the redhead's face with all her strength. Silver Swan was thrown backwards, gasping as she closes her eyes. Now unconscious she dangles below with the lasso being held around her neck by the Amazon, "You're right, Swan. You aren't Venessa... she's long gone... and you will be too."

Batman glances up to the Amazon, clearly angered by her actions, "**ENOUGH! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HER!**"

"Precisely, that is my people's way" Diana comments.

"**Not when you're in my city!**" Batman hurls a Batarang with neo-red edges at the flying woman.

Diana catches the weapon between her index and middle fingers and rolls her eyes, "I care not for these toys of yours. Leave now - this is your last warning..."

"**And that was your only one,**" Batman declares as the Batarang in Diana's hold explodes with flash-banging the Amazon. Diana goes to shield her eyes and loosened her hold on the lasso which allowed Silver Swan to fall away from her. The Winged-Villainess drops onto the roof on her sides. Batman's attention was brought back to the Amazon who had recovered from the vision impairment. She slams down on the roof and glares at the vigilante.

Diana takes her sword in hand and points it at Batman, "You judge my people's ways without knowing them. You protect these two though not being aware of their crimes. You stand against me, not possibly knowing what I am, who I am," she informs the man, "Men... always naïve. Putting your own pride over the betterment of the world," she clutches her sides with her free hand that was stained red, "You really haven't changed over all these years!"

"**You're losing a lot of blood. You need medical attention or you're going to die**," Batman tells Diana with a coldness, "**You need to go to the hospital.**"

"Fool. You're the protector of this city yet you let a foe walk free?" Diana returns her sword over her back and flies upward, "It would be foolish to expect an enemy to share your curtesy."

"**I don't. That's why this city needs me,**" Batman growls.

"I'm not done with this city yet. I'm not leaving until I get what I want," Diana glares, "You can keep Silver Swan and Minerva if you wish... they'll just end up causing more harm. I'll come back for them soon... you too."

"** Why did you come to this city in the first** **place?**"

"Justice," Diana snarls as a light encases both her and Batman. From above, several armoured helicopters locks on them as a platoon of Checkmate soldiers zip down onto the roof that quickly crowded the vigilante. The almost twenty persons unit aim their guns at Batman and Diana.

_"Batman. Get on the ground with your arms behind your head or we will open fire!"_ the commander orders as he takes lead and moves towards the vigilante, "_Under accounts of vigilantism, assaults, disrupting the peace, and property damage - I hereby place you under arrest!"_

"That voice - it can't be...," Diana's eyes widen, "Steve?"

"_I said don't move!"_ the commander repeats himself.

"**I like your spirit kid but you missed** **one**...," Batman throws down a pile of small pellets that rupture smoke that covers him completely, "**Evading capture**," Batman runs off the ledge while avoiding streams of gunfire his way. Diana flies off and leaves the scene. The commander walks to the ledge and removes his helmet and is revealed to be a blond man. Steve Trevor looks out to the city where there was no sign of the vigilante.

* * *

**Elsewhere **

Selina Kyle sits on the couch of the living room and looks down to the silver-coated demonic book that she was holding. Like many times before, her mind was fixated on the book but at the same time, she could feel some unworldly force stopping her from opening it. She has tried so many times to break the binds of the unseen power and bring herself to break it open but no matter how much she wished or tried, she just couldn't. Something was holding her back. The best that she could bring herself to do was simply trace her fingers along with the markings on the cover, "Just what are you...?"

Her attention is taken away from the book as she sees Barbara Lee run into the room, "Aunt Selina! There's smoke in the kitchen!"

"Smoke? Oh crap," Selina jumps onto her feet and drops the book down on the table and makes her way to the kitchen. Selina looks to the stove and the pan on top which was on fire, "Crap, crap!" she grabs at the handle and throws it into the sink. She turns both of the taps on to douse the flames. She then comes over to the window and opens it, "Don't come in for a few minutes, Barb. It's still dangerous!" she calls out to the girl in the next room over.

"Okay, Aunt Selina!" she calls back. She then goes to return to her bedroom but stops when she hears something at the back of her mind. An almost-whisper like sound. A trail of whispers all leading back to the book that Selina had left on the table. The young girl is drawn to it, unsure of why. All she knew was that there was something that was bringing her closer to it. As she came closer, the whisper became louder and louder. Barbara Lee then reaches her hand out and manages to open it.

A shadow-like mist flows from the pages and is inhaled by the girl unknowingly. Barbara Lee gasps as her eyes glow bright red.


	36. Requiem

**Requiem **

* * *

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

The trio, comprised of Lucius, Lee and Blüd step out of the elevator and into the grounds of the lair. Jason wore his messenger bag over his shoulder as he takes out a stylized book and opens it. He looks down to see the pages within, "It may take some time, but I should be able to come up with something that can help with your situation. I just need to set up a place of operations, then I can take it from there," Lee and Lucius stop as they look out to the far reaches of the grounds, where they come into the sight of a familiar face.

"...Bruce?" Lucius asks surprised when Bruce comes into their view.

"My God. You're okay?" Lee Thompkins and Lucius go greet Bruce while Blüd remains, keeping his attention to the book and only the book. Bruce looks to them, shirtless and only wearing the bottom half of the Batsuit with the rest residing on the table next to him. His hair was messy and his body was sweating. His hands were wrapped with black bandages, "Bruce? Y-Your standing...? How is that possible? I thought you needed the Batsuit to-

"Is that a new suit?" Lucius eyes over the rest of the costume from the side. He goes directly to the table to examine the costume, "This suit... it's like nothing that I've seen before. How did you make this?" he looks back over to Bruce.

Bruce was brooding with conviction, showing no signs of being happy to see the three. His eyes were cold and his body language masterfully reflects his inner thoughts, "As good as it is to see you guys again, I think we have more pressing matters than playing catch-up. Lucius, I need to look at the Wayne Industries Satellite."

"Mr Wayne? Is there something wrong? Why the sudden interest in your company's satellite?" Lucius asks Bruce.

"Hold on, Bruce. What about those murders from last night? Jason here thinks the killers come from some island called-"

"Themyscira. I know. During my time as being a part of the League of Shadows, I heard all kinds of secrets. Some of which... I wish I hadn't. We can deal with that later, right now... our main priority is to look at the satellite," Bruce picks up a towel from the side and places it around his shoulders.

Blüd lifts his gaze from the book in hand, "Are you sure that's a wise move? Legends say that the Amazons just don't leave. For them to come to Man's world is worry enough. They could be after something or someone. Either way, we can presume that they'll return."

Bruce looks up to Jason, "*They* got more than they bargained for. There were three of them, but only one was left standing. Whoever she was after, I doubt she will be in a hurry to try going after them again. We should take the time that we have to follow through with any loose ends."

"And just how does the Wayne Industries' satellite fit into those loose ends?" Lee asks.

Bruce folds his arms, "Whatever is going on with Gotham, I have reason to believe that it has something to do with my company's satellite. Last year, I took a briefcase from Sofia Falcone. Inside it was schematics for the satellite. The only way that she could've got her hands on them is for her to have someone high-up in my company on her payroll."

"I understand the concern, but why now?" Lucius asks, unclear of Bruce's motive, "Why are you suddenly focusing on that now right at this moment? There's something that you're not telling us, isn't there?"

Bruce dismisses the man's worry, "Listen. I need you to hack into it and check for any irregularities. I didn't come here to play twenty questions. I'm going to need you to trust me."

"It would be easier if you would tell us where you've been for the past month, and why you can stand. How can you expect us to trust you when you are refusing to return the courtesy," Lee directs at Bruce. The billionaire runs his hands through his hair as he glares at her.

"I don't know what you thought you were getting yourself into, but this isn't a team. This is my mission and mine alone. If you aren't willing to accept that, then feel free to leave. I don't have to explain anything to you, understand?" Bruce turns his back to Lee and throws the towel on the table.

Lucius was caught off guard by his boss's sudden remarks, "She's just worried about you, Bruce. We all are-"

"Speak for yourself," Blüd comments from the side-lines.

"-As I was saying, you were gone for a whole month. We looked everywhere for you but we couldn't locate you. We... honestly was expecting the worse."

Bruce steps closer to Lucius, "I'm going to ask you one more time, hack into the satellite. I don't want any questions asked."

"I want to trust you, Mr Wayne. But I need you to be clear with me. Just what am I looking for?" Lucius tries to pry information from Bruce.

Bruce slowly nods with a glare, "I see. Very well, I can do it instead. Lucius, Lee - I want you out of the Bunker now. And once you leave, I'm going to revoke your access codes. This-This isn't working. I tried to do it how Alfred wanted, but I just-just can't. It's far too dangerous for anyone else to be apart of this. This... this as we are... it's over. I should have never involved you in this. I can't even count on you to trust my judgement."

"We're a team, Bruce. Of course, we need to be able to trust you, that's the core fundamental of a team," Lee counters.

"We were never a team. This wasn't a club. This is life and death. Do you not get it? Lives at are stake when ever I leave the bunker. This is my fight and mine alone. I should have realized this sooner... now get out. I have work to do and you'll only get in my way," Bruce coldly tells the three as he soon turns his back on them. Lee and Lucius both revolt with disdain as they slowly leave the Bunker, with Blüd who stood, staring at Bruce from behind.

"You got something to add?" the Vigilante asks, aware of the auburn-haired man's actions.

" Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. You are playing a dangerous game," Blüd returns his book to the messenger bag.

"That's where you're wrong," Bruce keeps his gaze straight, "I've already fallen."

"So it appears," Jason follows after the other two.

* * *

Once the three left, they were walking through the main lobby with Jason taking the lead, "Well that went splendidly. If you would excuse me, I need to make my return to the study," he separates from the group. Lee and Lucius look at each other. Jason wipes his forehead as he feels himself suddenly sweat uncontrollably.

"You think that we should've stood our ground more against him?" Lee asks Lucius, "He's obviously scared. Scared that one of us could get hurt... or worse. Just what happened to him?"

"I don't know If there's a right answer here. There's a part of me that thinks it's best to follow his wishes... but-"

"There's a part of you that is telling you that he's making a terrible mistake? Same here," Lee agrees, "I was aware that Bruce was never the happiest guy... but what I saw in him just now... it's like he's been to hell and back. Maybe he needs some time to cool off, to sort himself out..."

"You're right. I still can't reach Alfred... if there was a single person that could reach Bruce it would be-," Lucius and Lee both turn towards the doors to the ground floor and see that Jason Blüd had fallen, now lying on the ground. They hear gasps coming from the people surrounding him. The duo makes their way to the downed man, "Blüd? What happened... are you alright?"

"A man collapses and you care to ask if he's *alright*?, " Blüd lifts himself up and holds his chest, "A cunning one you are... this isn't good. I knew I should've come for the book when I had the chance...," he looks to the two, "Selina Kyle. Take me to her, now!"

"...Why?" Lee asks as she goes to check the man's temperature but her hand was swiped away by the same man.

"She just unleashed something... something... evil."

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**Across Gotham**

"Barb! So I ruined the sweet popcorn, but there is still the salted flavour? You wanna go halves on-," Selina steps out into the living room. She shudders when her eyes land upon the sight of the unconscious girl lying on the ground. Her eyes twitch and she feels a coldness run up her body, "BARB!" she screams. Selina runs to the girl and lifts her head over her arm. Selina picks up on the girl's nose bleed along with the new-found coldness that her flesh took. Selina then notices the newly opened silver book on the side.

"Barb? Barb...? BARB! Can-can you hear me? For the love of god answer me!" Selina shakes the girl.

"...A-aunt S-s-s-Selina...? Why is it... - so... c-c-cold...?" the young girl struggles to breathe.

"Hush, Barb. You're going to be alright, I promise!," Selina cries as she reaches over to the stand and picks up her phone, "Everything's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay. Everything... is going to be okay!" she flips open her phone and one-handily dials for help, "...I need to help...! My friend's daughter... she's... I don't know what... it's bad. She's barely breathing... for the love of... please get here fast... please... hurry..."

* * *

**Bat-Bunker **

Bruce sits at the Bat-Computer, looking through the files on the Satellite, "Wayne Industries model 003-04, or more prominently known as *Operation Watchtower*, is a leading state of the art communications array, far superior than any other in orbit. It cost nearly 4 Billion to make and to send out into orbit. It was finished and sent into orbit while I was away from Gotham, which means It wasn't me who gave the green light to do so, Lucius doesn't have that kind of authority within the company, neither does Alfred...," he thinks to himself and he continues to delve into the blueprints "So that leaves one single question, who gave permission to launch it into orbit? And just what are they using it for?"

"Nyssa believes that someone in my company is feeding Sofia information, I have a feeling that she might be right about it. The best thing to do right now is to discover who the mole is. It would have to be someone high-up, most likely just a few levels below me. They would need to have a certain amount of influence, enough to even rival mine or to simply come close to it," Bruce then brings up multiple images of the hierarchy of Wayne Enterprise.

"That leaves the board of directors. I need to look into every single member and try to find anything that would draw suspicion," Bruce hears footsteps coming from behind him but willingly ignores them, "So you know how to get into the bunker too?" he sees the reflection of Nyssa on the screen.

Nyssa pulls down her hood and folds her arms, "I see you've finally started your search for the culprit," she grins, leaning over and resting her hands on the console, "Like me, your distrust falls upon the board. Now, which is the one that has infested your company? I see that my dear sister bought her way into the board, so that is one possibility eliminated. That is still 24 possible traitors," Nyssa tells Bruce, "So what just is going to be your process for deciding?"

"I'm setting the Bat-Computer to look into their backgrounds. Any black marks against their name. If there's something to be found, it will be discovered."

"For that many people...? Even with your precious technology, it would take hours at the least. When it comes to situations like this, every second is to be made the most of. Am I making myself clear?," Nyssa's eyes then lock onto an image of a woman on the Bat-computer, "I believe that we have a winner."

"Is that right?," Bruce stands, "Just what makes you think that?"

Nyssa grins and holds her chin up, "First you must answer my own query. Just when was your last board meeting, one where you also went to?"

"When your sister forced Mr Dolton to sign his place on the board to her. Around six months ago," Bruce answers.

"So you wouldn't know if the board is the same as when you last saw them, is that correct to presume?" Nyssa leans forward taps her gloved hand against the image of one of the board members, "Surely you recognize this face."

Bruce looks over the image, studying it. The image was of a woman of Asian descent with long raven hair, then it finally clicked, "Shiva?"

"Or as she is calling herself now: Sandra Woosan. The sneaky little bitch was always a chore to locate. Allowing for herself to be found so easily... well... it's obviously a sign that she wants you to find her," Nyssa comments, pulling up her hood, "Get yourself dressed. We have some business that we must see to."

Bruce folds his arms, "And you think that I'm letting you come because...?"

"And you believe that I'm giving you a choice because...? Seriously, Bruce. You are a fool to believe that I'm only doing this for your benefit," she reaches behind her back and twists her hand around the hilt of her sword, "Well then, we should make our way. She is bound to not make it easy..."

"We don't even know if she's in the city. It'll take some time to locate her."

"It's very fortunate that I have already done the leg work then. She is indeed in the city, she and her faction of the League is already waiting for us. Prepare yourself for a fight."

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital **

A tear stricken Selina watches over Barbara Lee. The woman holds her hand in the girl's own. There was complete silence through the room, even the ward which was made more apparent by the bleeps coming from the monitor. Barely a footstep transpired from outside the room. To Selina, it felt like it was just her and Barb alone. It must have been minutes before she heard any form of movement, this case was someone heading towards the room.

Tommy Elliot walks in, dressed in his lab coat over a light-blue shirt. He held a chart in hand. He walks over to Selina as shows a concerned look, "Miss Kyle, right? Do you have any word on the girl's mother?"

"What's wrong with her?" Selina ignored the man's question and threw her own at him, "Is she going to be okay?"

Tommy looks around the room, "It's best if I were to converse with her mother. It's nothing personal but I'm required to discuss matters with her legal guardian. Letting you even wait in here is already violating rules as it is."

"She's not picking up. I've already tried her over ten times. She always has her phone off when she's working."

"Then what of her father? It says here that they have joint custody? If you would be able to provide his number, we'll be able to get down to this problem a lot sooner. I hope that you understand that I cannot just tell you private information. I'm going to need one of her parents to show... listen, I'll keep trying her mother but if I can't get hold of either her or her father soon... there could be some ramifications," Elliot explains as he saw the hurt in the woman's eyes.

"Ramifications... like consequences? What for?" Selina asks, her voice shaking.

Tommy hesitates before confiding for the woman. He sits down beside her and leans forward. He intertwines his fingers and turns to face Selina, "I know you from somewhere, right? You know Bruce. He would want me to tell you so here we go... knowing what we know, we believe it's best for CPS to be involved in this matter, for the mental health of Barbara"

"Child protective services? Why?" Selina questions, clearly still heartbroken.

"How is Barbara Lee's home life? Are her parents... on good terms?"

"-I don't understand. Just-what are you trying to say?"

Tommy leans back and rests his hands in his lap, "Miss Kyle, we have reason to believe that she is self-harming."

"...what? That's-that's... can't be..., she isn't like that...," Selina shakes.

"I am not legally allowed to show you these so please don't tell anyone that I did," Tommy unclips a sheet from the clipboard and hands it over to Selina, "When we were stabilizing her condition, one of the nurses thought she saw something. So after we determined that Barbara was in the clear, we checked to confirm if what she saw was right... and unfortunately, it was. Her arms have signs of being cut, we also believe to have identified some burn marks too..."

She didn't want to believe it. She was absolutely set on not believing it but... seeing is believing and with it, she now believed. Selina's hands shake as her eyes look at the image of the injuries, "...This... no... this can't... oh my god... that can't be... it can't..."

"I know it may be hard to accept, hell, I am having a hard enough time just telling you. But there it is. Barbara is self-harming, you can now see the reason to let CPS know about this. It's best for her mental health," Elliot stands, "Apart from that. Her condition is fine. She should be awake, she only has a mild fever. But she still hasn't woken up yet," he walks towards the door, "I'll keep trying her mother but CPS will need to get involved. So if I can't reach her... I'll have no choice but to just call them and let them take it from there."

"I just-just don't... I don't understand... why- why would she be doing that to herself? Just how...? W-why didn't a see-see this?" Selina set the images down on the chair next to her. She looks to the slumbering girl, watching her, "I didn't...even know..."

Tommy looks back to Selina as he places his hands on his hips, "There could be bounteous reasons for why she's doing it: bullying, broken home life, depression. I can't say for sure; I'm not a psychologist. Maybe you should try looking into one," he looks down to his front pocket of his coat as he hears bleeps. Thomas takes out his pager and reads the message, "I'm needed elsewhere. Take care...," he goes to leave. Stepping outside the room, he looks back to Selina, "I'm hoping for the best for her," with that he was gone.

Selina was once again in silence as she looks over Barbara Lee, "...Why.., Barb...? Why...?"

* * *

**Chinatown **

"**Just how do you plan to find her?**" Batman grapples up to the rooftops and kneels on the ledge. He looks over the section of Gotham City, which was thankfully also one of the smallest. Nyssa walks next to him as she too looks out to the far reaches of the zone. She folds her arms and then paces back and forth, behind Batman. She keeps her attention fully drawn across from them and to the next street over. Batman took notice of the woman's actions, "**You better not be thinking of betraying me, Nyssa.**"

Nyssa scoffs at the man's words and flicks her hair from beneath her hood ", Thinking and acting are two separate games. For now, just focus on your brooding. Try and locate them, try to improve your skills."

"**You knew about Shiva before I did. Just how did you manage to do that?**" Batman asks without any patience for the woman.

"As I previously said, being believed to be dead allowed me to search for answers that would normally be impossible. After all, no one suspects a dead person, am I right? And I came up with answers, some of which even I was surprised by," Nyssa smirks as she sees the dark knight face her with a frown to which she simply shrugged off.

"**You know more about than Shiva. Playing games now will only inconvenience you since you appear to be so determined to get to the bottom of this.**"

"Easy now. If I were to give you all the answers so quickly, you would have no need for me. As long as I keep holding cards to my chest; you will have no choice but to follow my whims," the oldest Demon's head's daughter answers, "And as long as you don't have those answers, you will not be willing to betray me and vice versa."

"**That's your play, huh? You're trying to lock me into a partnership**," Batman rises up, **"Bold move presuming that I would agree to it."**

"I did my calculations on this. Innocent lives hang in the balance, so you will do anything to protect those *poor* souls; meaning you will work with me, no matter how much you don't want to," Nyssa stands before the vigilante fearless and grinning, "We need each other. Simple as that. Just saying it is sickening enough."

"**Finally, something that I'm happy to agree with you on**." Batman walks further to the ledge and oversees the street below.

"Well, my father desired you to one day be my brother-in-law. So we best start somewhere," Nyssa kneels over the ledge and folds her arms across her chest, "That is if you are to bewed my dear sister," Nyssa's eyes then fixate across from them, "That is most troubling. Shiva and her faction should have noticed us by now, yet they do not show themselves. She is not known for wasting time...," Nyssa grabs one of her blades and uses it to point to one of the buildings across from them, "We go now. Follow me."

The pair moves across to the next row of buildings and onto one of the roofs. They enter the building through the roof and slowly descend down the stairs. Nyssa takes the lead with Batman following behind, "**Why are you so concerned.**"

"Very little gets under my skin, so when something does... it is best not to dismiss it...," she and Batman reach one of the apartments. Nyssa kicks in the door and charges in. Batman was quick to follow. The duo then stumbles upon the sight of a dozen slain League of Shadows members. They lie on the floor, surrounded by mixed pools of blood. But there was no sign of Shiva. Nyssa's eyes widen and she sets her blade back into her holster, "Shit. How could've this of happened?"

"**League of Shadows are highly skilled, I doubt a single by-the-books criminal in this city could do this.**" Batman kneels down to check the pulse of one of the assassins, "**Dead. It's safe to assume that goes for the rest.**"

"These men trained under Lady Shiva, one of the most dangerous people in the world and lived. Slaying them would not be such an easy foot, especially with all twelve of them together," Nyssa looks around the room, "Yet Shiva herself is nowhere to be seen. Looks like she must've got out."

"**They couldn't have been like this for long; blood hasn't dried yet**," Batman turns his head towards the corner of the room. He spots a small wired device that was counting down. The Vigilante's eyes widen as he jumps up and grabs Nyssa without fault. He throws himself along with Nyssa out of the window and out into the city. Just as they escaped the building, the top floor erupts in a harsh storm of flames. The whole level of the tower explodes, shattering all windows.

Batman flings his cape around Nyssa to shield her from the flames. He then takes out his grapple launcher and fires a line to the next building across. The pair throw themselves on the roof, rolling on and take a minute to gather their breath. Batman looks out in horror to the flaming building that was facing them. The bright hues of flames brighten his suit in a light tint. Gently, rain pours down. Soft yet powerful at the same time.

Nyssa stands behind Batman, "A trap? That would mean that whoever set it was aware of our imminent arrival. That was too cowardly for Shiva and anyone else that's inside the League. Obviously the work of a third party."

"**There were people in that building, Nyssa. Whoever is behind this...sure as hell better be** **shaking**."

"Spoken with such conviction. Atlas we shall see if that flame of yours doesn't burn out before you get the chance to use its power," Nyssa smiles, she turns and reaches inside her jacket. She walks forward and takes out an empty vial, one that held small droplets of green liquid, " Come, Bruce. There is no more that you can do here. I pocketed this gem moments after we entered the apartment. Recognize it?" she throws the vial to Batman.

The Dark Knight catches it, "**Bane.**" He squints his eyes.

"Are you ready for the rematch?" hummed the oldest Demon's daughter.

"**Doesn't matter. Nothing will stop me now...**"

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital**

It was late, far past midnight. Thus Selina had managed to doze off into a slumber. She was slouched over and resting her head against the wall behind her. All was calm and quiet, barely a sound to be heard. That all stopped when Selina bolstered awake to the sound of the door to the room opening. She leans forward and rubs her eyes. She looks through the gaps between her fingers to spot the person who had entered. It was evident enough that she was not pleased by who it was.

Sofia Falcone stands before the hospital bed as she holds a bag in her right hand. Selina jumps up and quickly approaches Sofia, "Why the hell are you here?"

Sofia looks over to greet Selina with a small smile, "Apologies for dropping in unannounced like this but I grew concerned when I heard that you were spotted in a place like this. I thought that you were hurt," she looks back over to the unconscious child laying before her, "But it appears that it's another poor soul that deserves my sympathy instead. She's Gordon's daughter if I'm not mistaken," she walks over to the side of the bed. Selina follows after and pulls Sofia away.

"Don't you even think about touching her...," Selina clenches her hold around Sofia's arm.

Sofia glance back between the girl and Selina in one quick motion, "You believe me to be so petty that I would harm a child because of the history between me and her father? I will admit that I can get somewhat carried away but I would never dare harm a child for revenge. Especially one that you appear to be so fond of."

"Get out. The last thing I need is to be seen with you" Selina releases her hold on Sofia's arm, "And if Barbara wakes and you're the first person she sees... I'll never forgive myself. Now get out and don't ever pull this crap again, got me?"

"Oh dear sister, I got a feeling that you will not be concerning yourself with that, turns out little Barbara here isn't going to be waking up anytime soon," Sofia looks over to the child, "She's perfectly healthy yet she has not awoken quite yet. I got word that no Doctor here knows what is causing her to remain sleeping but they're suggesting that we should get used to it," to the displeasure of Selina, Sophia returns to the side of the bed and looks directly down to Barbara.

"What are you getting at?" Selina inquires while biting her lip.

"Basically, she's officially comatose but the doctors here don't have the slightest clue why," Sofia turns back to face Selina, "In a few minutes, one of the people working here is going to walk through that door and tell you the same thing as I am, maybe then you'll be inclined to believe it. I'm not your enemy, Selina. We're family and I just want to be looking out for you... so I'm willing to offer you a hand."

"A hand? What the hell do you expect me to say to that?" Selina rushes to the other side of the bed and glares at Sofia, "Just what do you expect to give me that can possibly help her?"

Sofia smiles "Being a person in my business gives you certain privileges, such as having a highly skilled individual at my beckoning call. You've heard of a man named Hugo Strange? I'm sure he would be able to release poor Barbara from her dilemma. If I were to instruct him too."

"You... can't be seriously be doing what I think you are. Are-... you trying to force me into working for you...? She's a person, Sofia! Not a bargaining chip!"

Sofia Falcone blows a strand of her hair, "I care for you, Selina. You are now the only family that I have left and I want to keep what we have. But this is the family business. All this time, I've been the one to help you out. I had Strange heal your wounds, I accepted your request for having that freak's name plastered all over the news and I've also been having my men on the inside destroy any and all evidence that would reveal that you are Catwoman... I believe that it is time that you finally do something that benefits me, don't you think?"

"But now...? When it's someone else's life? That's... cold...," Selina steps back and hugs herself, "And worse... she's just a child? What happened to you not wanting to hurt a child?"

"I didn't put her in that state," Sofia shrugs, "I ensure you that Strange will bring her out of her deep sleep but not before you give me something first."

"W-What could you possibly want me to do for you? I have nothing to give you. Nothing that you could possibly want...," Selina's eyes tremble.

Sofia rests her hands on her hips, "That's not true at all. In fact, you have something that I haven't. Something that I have been yearning for, now it's up to you if you choose him or her."

"Him...?"

"That's right, dear sister...," Sofia lifts one of her eyebrows, "I want you to tell me who Batman is. I know that you are aware of the man behind the mask and I want to know. You can either choose him or poor old Barbara. So tell me, which one has more value to you. Catwoman and Batman were spotted together by Firefly in Metropolis, as well you've been quite busy with dealing with basic criminals in this city. You know who he is... and he must mean something to you... like a lover perhaps?"

"Go to hell... get out... before I...-"

"I can see that you are having some inner conflict. Alright then... you have a week to decide which one you want to protect, the big bad bat or the innocent child? If it were your fate on the line, I have no doubt that you would throw yourself to the wolves... but now that there's an innocent's life at stake instead? I guess we'll finally see who the real Selina Kyle is...," Sofia winks at Selina as she reaches into her bag and pulls out a bat stuffed animal.

She sets it on the bed next to Barbara, "Here's in hopes that she'll one day be able to enjoy this little guy...," Sofia then makes a break to the exit, stopping when she sees Tommy Elliot entering the room at the same time she was trying to leave. Tommy double-takes as he sees Sofia.

"Isn't this a little too low end for your tastes, Miss Falcone? I saw that your guards seem to be reaching to their pockets a lot... if they brought weapons into this building then I would have no other choice but to contact the authorities. Something's telling me that is attention that you wouldn't want...," Elliot was calm and collected even though he was threatening one of the most notorious crime bosses in Gotham. Selina saw the look on his face, stoic which reminds her all too well of Bruce.

"No worries... I was just leaving," Sofia replies as she barges past the man and into the hallway as she is then followed by her entourage of guards.

"I had no idea that you two knew each other" Thomas looks to Selina, "Well... there's something I need to tell you that concerns Barbara here. I don't mean to frighten you... but you may want to sit down for this."

"She's comatose, isn't she? Please tell me that I'm wrong..."

Elliot stood in silence for a few moments before he speaks again, "I'm sorry. We have no idea what brought this on. I swear to you that we will do everything in our power to help her," he looks over to Barbara, "I've been trying to reach her parents, either of them. But they don't seem to be answering their calls right now... you can stay here for as you need, I'll inform the other staff not to bother you. If you need anything... I'll be close by"

* * *

**The Narrows**

"Take the west side, I'll take the east," Nyssa advises Batman as they look down from the rooftops that look down upon the back of an alley. There were two groups of armed men comprised, one on the entrance and the other at the dead-end. Nyssa reaches over her shoulder to grab her blade, "We move now."

"**Wait. No Killing. We incapacitate. That's** **it**"

"Remind me again: how did my father ever fathom you as a worthy successor?" Nyssa slides her blade back into its holster.

"**Probably the same reason why he didn't choose** **you**," without saying another word, Batman leaps off the ledge and down below. Nyssa follows her plan and moves over to the ease-side. The pair then descend upon their selected groups. Nyssa takes cover behind one of the corners, out of sight of the masked men. She lifts her right hand with shurukens between each finger. She rounds the corner and hurls all the metal stars with one swing. The stars hit their targets in a bullseye.

Cutting into their legs, severing nerves. Some shurukens manage to cut through multiple targets at once before they lost their momentum. Simultaneously as the woman's strikes, Batman descends down. He drops on the roof of the truck and crushes it along with trapping the two targets inside. The two others watching guard turn between both attackers. They ready their weapons at, each taking a target. Batman rolls off of the roof and avoids the first shots.

The vigilante leaps forward and grabs his grapple launcher. He disconnects the cable and wraps it around the assault rifle along with the man's arms. Batman twists the cable which intern did the same to the masked man's arms, eventually turning him around and avoids another set of rounds from the weapon. Batman then uses the rest of the cable to bind both of the thug's arms together. He punches the bound man, breaking his nose and sending him flying back into the other guard.

Batman then grabs the disoriented guard and throws him over his shoulder, hitting his head hard against the concrete of the ground and to finish it off, the vigilante twists the floored man's arms until it snaps. Nyssa makes her way towards Batman, hands on her hips. She kneels down and inspects his work, "You wish to cause no fatal injuries, yet it is going to be a miracle if this man can ever eat solids again." She stands with dusting herself off.

"**He'll have all the time in the world to enjoy all the liquids that he wants. Now let's move**" Batman turns and heads towards the truck. Batman approaches one of the dented doors and to the trapped men who crawled back as far as possible from the vigilante. Batman forms a fist and rams it through the truck's window. He grabs at the first's collar and without mercy or hesitation pulls him out through the window, cutting him with the loose glass on both seat and what was left through the vehicle's window.

Batman drags the man to his feet and slams his head against the brick wall, leaving a splodge of blood in place of where the man's head impacted, "**BANE! I know that you work for him! TELL ME! WHERE is HE!**" Batman growls as he strikes his captive's head against the wall again, though softer to avoid fatal injuries. The man screams as he fears for his life, "**Eduardo Dorrance. WHERE IS HE! I know that he has been running a supply train of venom for the black market, an unstable variant that has claimed the lives of the people that he takes advantage of! TELL ME!**" he growls, gritting his teeth.

"God no! Please, please, please, please! He'll kill me! He'll kill me if I tell you!" the man yells.

"**Fine! Make your choice! Do you want to die tonight or live the rest of your life not being able to breathe without a machine!**"

"No dice! I don't care what you do to me! Bane will do even worse if I break!"

"**Do you really feel confident in testing that theory of yours?**" Batman reaches into the captive jacket's pockets and pulls out a close vial of green liquid, "**Let's find out**," he yanks the man's head back and holds the tube over his mouth, "**This venom is the same as the one that Bane is mass-producing, which means it has more in common with Viper rather than the former. Your bones will slowly dissolve and break apart and you will live your last few minutes in absolute agony!**"

"So cold. I'm starting to fool for the notion that I pre-emptively misjudged you" Nyssa comments from the side, looking over to the remaining guard trapped in the truck, "Feel free to kill this one. We have a spare over here," she folds her arms and grins.

"Wait! F-fine, I'll talk! I'll talk!" the man reaches into his jacket. Batman's squints as he counters his movements and twists their arm behind their back. The vigilante then slams the guard against the wall with full-force, "AH! I'm not grabbing a weapon! The big guy gave us this to communicate with him! That's all I can offer you! He never tells us where he is!" he takes a small radio which he carefully hands over to Batman. With a fast reaction, Batman took the device from the guard. The Dark Knight looks it over.

"**Simple tech. Can't have a range over seven miles and that's a high-estimate**," Batman then slams the head of the man against the wall with enough force to knock the wind out of him along with any remaining consciousness. Once he released his hold, the masked man fell backwards into a slumber. Batman dismantles the radio and takes out several key components. He inserts the main chip into his right gauntlet and turns towards the last guard that was still trapped inside the truck.

"**Damn. Signal's scrambled. Bane's smarter than he looks"**

"This is where we part ways," Nyssa looks behind her, "Letting Eduardo become privy to my survival will truly endanger my plan. It's all you from here"

"**You're not wanting to see Bane taken down? Even after betraying you? Sounds out of character for you**," Batman replies.

"I'm afraid that my mission is more important than allowing for some personal business interfere with it, but I'm sure you will get some good hits in for me," Nyssa fully turns, "See you around. This time I'm leaving you until it becomes absolutely necessary. If you get yourself killed during the time, well you're on your own." Nyssa jumps up onto the ladder of the fire escape and climbs up. With a small sequence of flips and other athletics, she had reached above to the roofs, vanishing from sight.

"She's so obviously up to something..." the vigilante thinks as he turns to face the last guard who was desperately trying to open the door to the truck to escape. Batman walks towards the truck, cape swerving with each step taken. The masked man looks away from the vigilante to focus on continuing to pry open the door but with no luck. Looking back up, he then sees that the costumed man was gone from his view. He takes moments to regather enough breath to keep at his efforts.

Just as he believed it to be safe, a hand breaks through the window beside him; sending shards of glass all over him. The man shrieks as he, just like his peer is dragged out of the truck and into the darkness.

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital**

Selina turns to the door and sees three familiar faces: Lucius, Lee and... him. She glares at Jason Blüd who stood in the middle of the other two, "You? What are you lot doing here? H-how did you even know that I was-"

"Long story short: I could sense it from across the city," Blüd sets his messenger bag down on the stand beside the hospital bed, "This wasn't meant to happen. Hell, it was impossible. How could you possibly have opened that book?," the auburn-haired man questions as he frantically searches through his bag, "There's no way someone like you could open it. That's why I saw no problem taking my time to collect it."

"Book?" Selina's eyes widen, "The book? You mean the one that Barbara opened? T-this is your fault!?"

"Says the one that stole it. If it wasn't for you, this girl wouldn't even be in this situation!" Jason takes out a silver cased book, the same one that Selina took before, "Pardon the delay. We were busy locating the book -which again for the record you stole," Blüd opens the book and flips through the pages.

"That thing is what caused this in the first place! Get it the hell away from her!" Selina snarls.

"Not to get into specifics but once again, the book shouldn't have been near her in the first place. Now do me a favour and quiet down, I can sense it within her. But before that, how did you manage to open the book in the first place and why didn't it choose you instead?" Jason lands upon the desired page.

"*It*? I don't understand a single word that you are saying!" Selina hurries over to Barbara's side.

"Don't worry...I'm used to it by now. By *It* I mean a demon. One that has latched onto this girl's soul... and if I do not hurry; she will be lost," Blüd glances at Selina, "I can't do this here. I'm still too weak to drive it out here... we need to take her back to my study. Lucius, Lee grab her up. We need a controlled environment."

"W-What? You just can't You - you can't just kidnap someone from a hospital like that- what if she needs those machines to breathe?" Selina argues as she turns Lee, "I don't understand what is going on here but she needs to be here and that's final!"

Lee walks over to Selina and places her hands on the younger woman's shoulders, "I need you to listen to me, Selina, okay? You need to trust him on this one. He told us what the thing inside her is."

"W-what? Lee? D-did he say d-demon? This is- this is- I don't know," Selina stressed, "A-are you crazy? Barbara is j-just unconscious. There isn't a demon inside her. If there was then... then I don't think that she would be so peaceful...!" she pulls Lee's hands off her.

"Lucky for her...and us that this is the first demonic possession caused by a non-evil demon. The demon here is probably just as wanting to be separated from her," Blüd points to Lucius, "You. Pick the girl up. Even if the demon doesn't want to hurt the girl, his continued presence could kill her. We need to get her to my study now!"

"Lee may believe you but don't think that I'm just as easily fooled...," Lucius comments. Jason Blüd lifts his hand over Barbara and casts his hand in a purplish mist. In response, Barbara snaps her eyes open which glow bright red as she begins to convulse. Lucius hurries over to the girl, "Alright...forget what I just said."

"Wait!" Selina barges past Lee, "Is it that thing...that's keeping Barbara unconscious?"

"No, it's the lighting that is messing with her- Yes, of course, it's the demon that's messing with her body! Try to keep up, will you? It's like I'm surrounded by bloody children all the damn time," Jason looks over to the door to the room, "Let's go. We have little time to waste. Me being close to the girl could be quickening her end."

"I saw one of the Doctors patrolling the ward," Lucius carries Barbara in his arms, "How are we meant to get past him without being seen?"

"I can handle that" Selina answers.

**Around a minute and a half later...**

Tommy Elliot enters the room with eyes set to the clipboard in his hand, he did not even look inside the room before entering, "Miss Kyle. I know this may not be the most appropriate time for this, but I was hoping that I could have you sign some forms that would grant you momentarily parental duties. This way we can stop CPS from breathing down our-," the man was dropped to the floor as Selina elbows the back of his head. Selina then looks over Lucius and Lee.

"Selina? He's my boss! You didn't have to hit him that hard" Lee comments.

"Relax. He's in a hospital! Best place to be knocked out if you ask me," Selina walks over Lucius and takes Barbara from him as she now holds the girl, "C'mon." she and the others make their way out of the room.

* * *

**Undergrounds, Old Gotham**

Vandal Savage kneels before the large crater that brims with a sizzling mint green liquid that forms a pool. He's positioned with his left hand inside the bubbling liquid. The man is dressed in a red velvet Victorian tailcoat and a black shirt underneath. His hair was gelled back and tied into a shoulder-length ponytail. On his right hand were several silver rings, one on each finger: One a wolf, the second a bear, the third a snake and the fourth was a crow.

His eyes are closed and his mind was deep in thought, only stopped when he senses the presence of another. His eyes remain closed and his attention is minorly moved away from his deep thoughts, "Why do you come here, child?" Behind him stood Sofia Falcone, less than three metres away. Vandal stands, holding his arms behind his back, "I will ask you again. Why have you come here?"

Sofia stands tall and stern, her face keeping a determined look, "I followed your instructions perfectly, I did everything that you have asked of me, I risked my life to get Sionis and the others on with your plan. I'm even destroying any evidence of your existence...,"

"Indeed. And enlighten me, child. Just what point do you wish to make today?" Vandal Savage turns to face Sofia, "Have I not awarded you for your loyalty? You are now at the top of the food chain in Gotham's underworld. Sionis cannot touch you with me by your side. Yet you appear to be unsatisfied with all that I have granted you?"

"There's. Still. One. Thing. That. I. Want.," Sofia walks closer to Vandal, "And you know what that is."

"It appears so. You still desire the death of The Batman, even after I strictly told you to no longer pursue this foolish vendetta of yours"

"Sometimes...it feels like you are protecting him instead of me. Just what is your deal with him? Why won't you let me take action against him?" Sofia draws closer and closer.

"You dare address me with such disrespect, young one? You demand answers for questions you have no entitlement to ask," the ancient one then reaches to his side and to the hilted sword. He taps his ringed fingers against it.

"Are you trying to threaten me into silence?" Sofia asks, the same heartless tone that she mostly uses.

"Cut out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you just reveal to the world that you fear what they might say," Vandal answers as he turns his attention back to the pool of green illuminating liquid. He kneels back down, "I do not fear you or any mere mortal. Continue if you wish, though be warned: fear and impatience are two separate remedies to one's overstep"

"I'm not letting the Bat get away with the damage that he's caused me! He will suffer and you will not stop me!"

"So I've been told. Is that not why you used that child? You hope to make young Miss Kyle reveal to you the identity of Batman, is that correct?" Vandal dips his hand back into the pool, "Continue with this game if you desire, I shall not interfere. Indeed, that too goes for if your scheme fails. You will suffer the consequences of your treachery alone." Vandal waits for several seconds before speaking again, "Now leave me be. Never come to me again without first being summoned."

"That's the Lazarus, I presume. Just what use could you possibly derive from it?," Sofa asks before walking off.

"Foolish child. This is no more the Lazarus then blood is water. Water, the life of essence and blood, the essence of life. Humans cannot live without either, both flows through their bodies. But this? This is the truest form of the Lazarus, one that is not corrupted or poisoned throughout the ages..."

* * *

**Across Gotham **

"Woah! Let me down from here! Let me down! Let me down! LET ME DOWN!" the masked man screams as he hangs upside down above a ten-story drop. In front of him, the vigilante who's responsible for hanging him, a long cable wrapped around his leg and the pipes of the roof.

"**If I were you I would choose my words more carefully!**," Batman snarls as he pulls at the guy's hair, "**The Radio's signal is scrambled! So that means that you are going to tell me where Bane is, got it?"**

"Or what! Y-y-you going to d-drop me?"

"**THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'LL DO! NOW TALK!" **

"Sorry but no dice! We know how you roll! You don't kill! We both know that you aren't going to drop me to my death!"

"**Who said anything about the fall killing you? But you're going to wish that it had after I'm done with you! NOW TALK!**"

"Ah-ah-ah-ah! Okay, chill, chill! I don't know where he is! The other guy was telling the truth! Us guys are the lowest of the lowest when it comes to Bane! The radio is all that I got and shiz don't work! The only way that you can use it is to talk to Bane...but I don't know why'd you pick to!" the man panics, explaining as he throws his arms around. Batman's eyes widen as he grabs onto the collar of the man "Woah! Ease up! I told you that I ca-"

"**Get through to Bane, now!" **Batman passes the radio over to the upside-down man.

"D-Dude, now? My head is all fuzzy..."

"**NOW! I'll go easy on you if you do!**"

"That's cool! I'm feeling better already...," he clumsily holds the radio to his mouth, "Uh-uh... this-t-this is t-this-... uh-t-this... is the g-guys who w-were supposed t-to sell the g-goods"

_"What do you mean by *supposed* to?"_

Batman snatches the radio, "**He means me! And tell your boss that he's next!**" Batman then hears heavy sounds from the other end, something akin to loud footsteps, the sound of blood spatter and screaming. Soon enough, Bane was now the one on the other end of the transmission. Batman hears heavy breathing from Eduardo, almost like excitement.

_"Ah...The Batman. I know this day would come, ever since you returned. I could sense it in you...you are angry, more vicious...come, Batman. Let's finish this, this time...I won't stop at your back or your spirit..."_

"**Name the place.**"

_"You already know it, Batman. Meet me in the place I broke you...the place where I humiliated you...and killed one of your precious Allies: Talon was their name, I believe. Come to me and get the vengeance that you so desperately crave..."_

**"All those years on venom, Eduardo, it's damaged your mind beyond repair. You're sick!"**

_"The church. Come to the church...you may express your hatred through your fists, do not waste my time with pointless talks!"_

Batman crushes the radio in his hand and growls. He looks to the dangling man as he unattached the cable from the pipes and allows for the man to plummet down, screaming. Several stories down he then lands in the cold, hard metal fire escape which sends him into a frenzy of screams as he looks at his mangled arms, "What the f-f-! Y-you s-s-said you would g-go easy on me!"

"**I kept my end; you will eventually be able to walk again!**" Batman then moves out of view from the ledge.

* * *

**Jason Blüd's Study **

The group walk into the Study. Blüd points to the middle of the room, "Set her there, then stand the hell away."

"So we just exorcize the demon-thing and Barbara's in the clear?," Selina sets the girl down in the middle of the room, "That's it? She won't be harmed, will she?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes. But it's technically not an *exorcism* if the demon also wants to get out of the body. It's more of a mutual repealing," Jason brings out the silver book once more and searches through the pages, "This shouldn't take too long. My powers are vastly increased here."

"If the demon wants out, then why did it possess her in the first place?" Selina crowds around Blüd, "Did it just change its mind or something?"

"It's more than just a simple demon, Miss Kyle. It's a wandering spirit without a body. It must have been looking for its original vessel when it was released. But Barbara was the closest to it. It had every right to think that I would have been the one to open it, but instead, you stole the book and put the girl's life in danger like this," Jason finds the right page, "If you were the one to open it, then why was Barbara the closest. Not even I understand that. You should have been the vessel for it..."

"I didn't open it" Selina confessed as she shakes, "I couldn't. It was like there was some force stopping me from doing so. Barbara must've opened it because after I found her unconscious, I noticed that book no longer seemed to have that weird feeling anymore."

"The girl opened it...?" the auburn-haired man turns his head to Selina, "A child's imagination, truly one of the most powerful things. No ill intent, just hope. Truly astonishing," he removes his glasses and taps them against his leg, "The Book of Etrigan, beaten by a mere child. Now I've seen it all." Blüd puts his glasses back on and turns his attention back to Barbara, "When we start this... Barbara is going to be put through hell. She will scream, she will cry, she may panic and beg for us to stop. When she does, do not interfere. Stopping this procedure from completing will kill her"

"A-and if we don't start this at all?" Lee asks.

"She'll die. Weeks of unimaginable pain and suffering, maybe even months... do you really want to put her through that? This, the only way that she has a chance of her surviving. It's the only way to save her soul..." Jason Blüd answers as he reaches into his messenger bag. He takes out a small black container. He then trails around the girl and pours the inside of the container: salt, eventually forming a pentagram. Selina was pulled back by Lee. Lucius moves back too and gives Blüd room.

"God help us...," Lee whispers.

"No. This time it's a demon that needs your prayers. Let's see if he will answer," Blüd lifts his hand that is suddenly engulfed in flames that spiral around. He then speaks, this time in a lower tone, a mere whisper, "I know what you want. You wish to become one once more. That's not happening, you are going to be trapped in your prison once more. You and I will never share the same body again," he then lifts his head, "You know that I'm weak. Our separation has gradually dwindled my powers... to be honest, I'm not sure if I can rip you out, even with my abilities being boosted"

"Let's begin...," Blüd takes a small capsule of water, "Reditus! Recepum! Protero! Periit! Reditus! Recepum! Protero! Periit! Reditus! Recepum! Protero! Periit!" Blüd hurls a drop of the water over the girl, "Reveal yourself!" On cue; the girl opens her eyes. Now bright red as she begins to hover off the ground, "Hello Etrigan. It's been some time..."

Barbara's eyes widen, **"**Blüd. So we meet, once again, now enemies instead. I'm free of my prison, trapped inside another. Deny it if you wish but we need each other "

"Listen and listen closely... I'm here to get you out of that girl. That's it. It's up to you for how difficult that you want to make this...," the auburn-haired man glares, "I'm going to lock you away, just like I did before... Reditus! Recepum! Protero! Periit! Reditus! Recepum! Protero! Periit!," he chants as he continues to splash the water over the possessed girl; causing her to scream with the sound of two voices mixed into one. Selina's eyes widen.

"He's hurting her!" She screams.

"No, Selina!" Lee pulls Selina back, "She's going to die if you stop him now!"

"I really should've analysed that satellite, like Bruce wanted me to" Lucius stood motionless.

"Let's finish this...," Jason looks down back to the page.

The demonic girl's eyes widen, "No! No! Do not do this once again, thou and I need to be there for the end! 'Tis the only path to victory we have, thou need me: Etrigan!"

"Gone! Gone! O spirit of the damned, expel once more back where you began! Back! Back! you go, release thyself from form o man!-," Blüd recites the chant which caused a whirlwind of flames to surround the room, trapping: Lucius, Lee, Selena, Blüd and the girl in the vortex of soring fire. Selina, Lee and Lucius all hunch together to avoid the flames, "Gone! Gone! O demon that's attached, leave this mortal vessel intact-," the flames become more violent and turn from orange to blue.

Selina thinks back to where she had heard Blüd recite those words before. She then remembers with her eyes widening.

**1 Month Ago**

Catwoman watches from above as she sees Whisper A'Daire slowly approaches the downed man who starts to chant, "Change! Change! O form of man... free the prince forever damned... free the might from fleshy mire, boil the blood in the heart of fire...," Jason chants unnerved. His blue eyes slowly transform to a red tint. He reaches the back of his desk and sees Whisper less than a metre away ", Gone! Gone! O form of man and rise the demon-," he was stopped by the redhead shoving her hands over his mouth and mumbling his words.

Catwoman's eyes then look over to the display case with the demonic silver book and notice that it was glowing, "That's... weird..."

**\- Present Day -**

"That demon...," Selina shakes, "... It's not just some random monster, it's also apart of Blüd?" She then thinks back to her last time in the Library and what Blüd had said:

_*We all have our demons, we all have our own ways of fighting them and some of us...lose those battles*. _

"Him and this demon: Etrigan... they were originally the same person...?" Selina thinks to herself, unaware that she was speaking and loud enough for both Lucius and Lee to hear, "...He wasn't kidding when he told me that he had his demons..."

Their minds were then drawing to the screaming girl who was pleading for help, wanting for the pain to stop, "Gone! Gone!" the flames become more intense, "...O demon who continues, end your hold upon they who fell victim to you! Gone! Gone! O demon who lingering, end this charade and return to where once you came! Begone!" Jason's eyes glow as the darkness surrounding Barbara Lee's body drifts off of her and towards the book that Blüd is holding.

Jason slams the book the very moment that the darkness was fully consumed into it. The blue flames around them dissipate and leaves without any trace, not even a single burn mark was left on the ground. Blüd falls to his knees and drops the book, "That seemed a lot harder than Constantine made it out to be...," he removes his glasses and rubs the sweat from his forehead. Selina, Lee and Lucius all rush to the now unconscious girl who slumbers on the ground.

"Barb? Can you hear me, Barb? It's Selina?" the woman holds the girl in her arms. Lucius and Lee both crowd Selina.

Jason Blüd picks the book up and stands while pressing his hand against his lower back, "Oh never mind me, totally fine - thank you for asking..." he puts his glasses back on and returns the silver book to the same display case where he previously-stored it, "It's not like I helped exorcized a demon from her or anything. Do not mind me at all, I guess"

"Uh... Blüd?" Selina asks shaking.

"Finally," the auburn-haired man turns, "Thank you for aski-"

"She's not waking up... She's not...waking up...," Selina's eyes tremble, "I-d-don't understand...why isn't she waking up?"

"But you tore the demon out, right?" Lee asks before immediately rethinking what she just said, "Oh god...I can't believe things are that crazy now..."

"You said that *thing* was keeping her in the coma...so why is she still comatose? She doesn't have a second demon in her, does she?" Lucius questions, unsure of what to think of the whole situation, "This is just..."

"No. That's not possible. That demon was the only one in the book...if he wasn't causing her harm...then...," Blüd eyes widen, "H-he was protecting her. He was buying her time... that's why he possessed her... which means...whatever is causing the girl's condition, it was set in place well before she opened the book..." he runs his hand through his hair, "That's why he lured her to the book, enticed her to open it and be possessed by him... his mere presence would have killed her eventually, but long after whatever is happening to her now will..."

Selina's arms shake as her eyes tremble, "Y-you got to do something! You need to help her, please! I'll do anything!"

Blüd takes a long breath, "I'm sorry but I can't do that. Whatever is happening to the girl...it's not to do with the mystical arts which are my expertise. Whatever is afflicting this poor girl... it's in the realm of science. I'm afraid that I can't help you from here..."

Lucius glares at Jason, "Just what is that supposed to me?"

"It means that you have my condolences. I'm sorry," Jason answers.

"Condolences? She's not dead! She'll just need help! She's going to be fine!" Selina softly runs her hands through Barbara Lee's hair, "She's going to be fine!"

"Selina..." Lee attempts to calm the younger woman.

Blüd rubs his eyes, "I can't sense any mystical energies from her but I can feel her lifeforce... and it's dwindling fast...she has weeks at best..."

"Y-you said that *demon* could prolong her time...? C-Can you put it back into her...CAN YOU DO SOMETHING? Please..., maybe if we have more time...we can..." Selina begs for a miracle.

"Even if I were willing to agree to that... Barbara's body is too weak... if we were to put the demon back into her...we would eventually need to get it back out again... and in her state...she wouldn't survive..." Blüd answers with regret, "I'm sorry..."

"We understand..." Lee holds her hands over Selina's shoulders, "We need to take her back, Selina. I won't leave her side, I swear." Selina could only reply with a simple weak nod as she along with Lee walk out of the room. Lucius follows after and with that, Jason was left in silence.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham City -**

Memories were coming back. None were too pleasant, such as the pain that was suffered here and the people that were lost. Batman with severe concern now slowly makes his way along the aisle of the church, between the rows of pews, some still showing signs of damage from where he was last there. The once stained glass windows were now broken and covered with wooden boards that were lazily nailed over. There were more than a fair share of gaps between each board which gave entry to the elements, such as the rain that was spewing in from the outside.

Approaching the altar, Batman continuously checks all around him to avoid being taken by surprised, "Welcome, Mr Wayne. I am glad for you to make it," Batman hears a muffled voice coming from somewhere around him, unable to pinpoint the exact location. The vigilante reaches down to his waist and takes dual Batarangs which he holds in either hand, "Getting warmer," the voice speaks again as Batman now stands at the altar. He looks around, once again examining the whole area for every single detail, no matter how small.

"**Hiding Eduardo? What happened to all that** **hubris?**"

"During my time in Blackgate, I started to hear stories about a darkened avenger, most of my peers believed you to be a simple urban legend. But then, no matter who it was...they all spoke of the same truth: A man who uses the symbol of a bat, a creature of darkness..."

Batman keeps turning his head, "**You should've stayed in Blackgate, Eduardo, maybe you might have learned that I'm not someone that should be messed with!**"

"When I became privy to Gotham's greatest son's return...that is when I pieced it together, my friend. That night, all those years ago...I remember. That was when you chose your symbol...in a way, I helped in your creation…"

"**Too late for regrets now**" Batman throws a flurry of Batarangs all around the room. They all explode and send the room in a blinding flash of white light."

"No, my friend. I do not regret my part in your rebirth. I relish in it. Just as I relish in the death of your friend..." Batman's eyes widen as he hears movement from behind. He turns and rolls away when he sees one of the pews heading straight for him. Batman looks over to the origin and sees Bane standing in the place of where the pew was previously. Eduardo wears a black muscle shirt tucked down under a pair of green cargo military pants and heavy black boots. Bane stood, with black fingerless strapped gloves on his hands, and a mask that covered his mouth, "Now come, Batman! Let us finish this!"

"**What's the point in this, Eduardo? Why are you so obsessed with me?**" Batman squares up with resupplying his hands with a Batarang each, "**Just what can you possibly have to gain from all of this?**"

"A man like you wouldn't understand, my friend. You occupy yourself too much with that you believe then spending time on hearing out others. It's either your way of the wrong way, such a simple outlook on life...in some ways, you're still just a child" Bane cracks his knuckles and neck, "By showing the city that you're a false saviour, they will learn to accept the real world. A harsh, cold place where the weak die and the strong survive... that is what I will prove this night! Prove myself to them!"

"**Prove? I'd say killing those League members earlier already did that! Blowing up that apartment complex proved who you really are!**"

Bane slants his neck, looking at the vigilante, "What are you talking about? I never came across any of those who you speak of."

"**The vial! I found venom at the scene! I checked to make sure that it's the real deal, not the batch that you send out to the people!" **

"Killing League of Shadows warriors? Why would I lie about such an accomplishment? I'm not one to take credit that I do not deserve," Bane begins to walk towards the vigilante, "Now enough with this talk! Tonight is when I will break you for once and for all!"

"**No, Bane. Tonight is where I will break you!**" Batman squints. Both he and Bane then begin to charge towards each other, meeting at the centre of the aisle. Bane throws a punch at Batman who catches it by trapping the larger man's fist between the pair of Batarangs. The vigilante than leans his head back, throwing it forward and crashing into Bane's own skull. Batman then rams his fist across Bane's cheek. The larger muscular man moves back and swipes the blood from his mouth.

"Good. Very good. I sense your anger in your strikes...," Bane said, unphased by his opponent's strikes, "That's it. Show the people of the city just what you are capable of!" Batman turns to his side and sees some sort of drone hovering around them, one with a mantled camera, "It's time for them to see just who you really are."

"**No, they're going to see me kick your ass,** **Eduardo!**" Batman punches Bane, but this time Bane blocked it. Eduardo kicks Batman back, followed by a punch of his own. Batman dodges under the blow and attacks back, but Bane blocks once again by catching the vigilante's fist in his own hand. With immense speed, Bane lifts Batman up and punches with his other hand into his sides. Batman takes a Batarang from his belt and drives it into the back of the larger man's shoulder.

Bane lets go and throws the vigilante to the ground, "More vicious...I like that...," he lifts his foot and stomps down. Batman rolls out of the way, barely avoiding the hit. The dark knight then jumps to his feet and backflips away, "Is that all you got? I am disappointed in you. The only real strike you made so far is just a poultry toy of yours," Bane looks over his shoulder to the Batarang stuck in him. With one simple tug, Bane yanks it out and holds it, "What did you expect to do with this little thing?"

"**This**" Batman taps his belt.

Bane looks back to the Batarang that he was holding, now flashing. It explodes and sends Bane flying backwards and crashing into several rows of pews. Bane looks down to his hand that was maimed by several shrapnel fragments. His face was also now covered in a number of scars, "You could've killed me... that's not like you..."

"**No one dies on my watch, not even you, Bane**" Batman saunters forward, "**Stay down!**"

"Sorry, my friend. But this is just getting interesting," Bane lifts the bottom of his muscle shirt up. His belt held multiple cartridges with venom inside. He picks out a cartridge and injects himself through the vein in his neck. His eyes gain a green hue along with his veins. Within moments, his veins look to protrude and push against his skin with his shirt seemingly tearing at the seems with his increased muscle mass. Bane grunts as he looks to Batman, "Tonight is going to be your end, Bat!"

"I WILL BREAK YOU!" Bane brings his arms foreword and shields his head as he begins to charge at the vigilante. With Bane's now increase mass, one would believe that his speed would be greatly depowered, but as the vigilante was about to discover, it was the opposite that was true. With such speed and force, Bane had somehow darted his way along to Batman. The vigilante barely had enough time to react, he dodged out of the way.

Though Bane missed his target, he didn't stop. He kept going and rammed through all the pews along with breaking the alter apart. Bane turns and charges back the way he came and towards Batman. In a rush, Batman rolls out of the way again but to less effect. The vigilante was still close enough for Bane to grab his cape and drag him along for the ride. With one long and strength-backed wind-up, Bane throws the Bat across the room.

Batman was lashed against the dual doors to the church with Bane ramming his foot against him before he could have reacted. Bane then grabs the vigilante by the neck and throws him again, this time to the other side of the room with enough force to ram him against the bottom of the alter. Batman lies, drowned in the debris of the alter. His vision was blurry. Bane was no more than a smudge to his eyes, a smudge that was coming closer and closer to him.

"No friends to protect you. No friends to die for you. The clown isn't here to save you from me...," Bane stomps towards Batman, bashing his fists together, "I believe this is what we call a classic case of déjà vu, wouldn't you agree?" Bane presses the bottom of his boot against the vigilante's chest to further push him down in the debris, "It's almost cathartic for you to meet your end here. You, a creature of the night, this church: a sanctuary from one's own darkness... tell me, my friend, do you have any confessions you wish to admit? Maybe it will ease your journey into the next world... allow you to move on in peace."

"**I'm not looking for peace!**" Batman rams a Batarang right through Bane's left leg, with the wings sticking out either side. Taking his chance, Batman rolls away and stands, "**Your venom is wearing off, Eduardo!" **Batman sees the rage the forms on Bane's face who reaches to his belt and for another vial of venom, he injects it into the veins in his neck. Bane's muscle mass noticeably increases, this time tearing holes in his shirt. His veins glow bright green along with his irises.

"That... That was your last hurrah. I will break you! I WILL BREAK YOU! And show this city just what a false saviour you are! I will break you!" Bane squares up, "The venom increases my strength, stamina, my speed. My heart is racing with power, and I will use it all to BREAK you!"

"**You want my confession, Eduardo? Fine! I was broken...but not by you nor any other of you lunatics! I was broken long before any of you! You are nothing!**" Batman then charges at Bane, a very different start than before. The vigilante was now taking the fight to the much larger and stronger man. Bane rams his fists as he too charges, this time being the second. Before they could clash, Batman slides between Eduardo's legs while taking the four remaining vials of venom with him.

In his confusion, Bane stops in his tracks and turns towards where he last saw the vigilante go. But in surprise, Batman injects him with the four venom vials, in his arms. Bane's eyes widen as he steps back and begins to foam at the mouth, "W-What are you-?"

Batman jumps back and lands in a kneeling position with his cape drooping over his shoulders, "**You said that the venom was making your heart race, let's see how fast we can make it go.**"

"Y-you.." Bane's teeth grits, his muscles spasms and his skin or rather his muscles were increasing in size beneath. Bane sends a fury-filled punch at the Dark Knight who easily moves out of the way, "Venom is not-meant...to be...taken...more than one at a time!" Bane keeps throwing hits at Batman who kept on evading out of the range. Bane's mouth foams much more and his shirt rips more as his muscle mass keeps on growing and growing, bones were cracking, breaking apart, "-Y-you... end our fight like this? Like a coward? Why would you do this?"

"**That was for Talon, Bane!**" Batman evades another blow from Bane, "**And this is...FOR ME!**" Batman punches Bane with all his strength and might. Bane was tired, exhausted even. His bones felt like they were crumbling, turning to dust. With ease, Bane falls without the strength to stop his descent.

"No! NO! This is not how it was supposed to happen!" Bane looks up to the towering vigilante, "Hear me, Batman! I was meant to-"

"**You are no more, Bane! Your spirit is shattered and you are...**" Batman throws one final punch down and completely knocks Bane out cold, "**...Broken**" Batman breathes heavily as he looks down at his hands in disbelief of his action, "I'm sorry, Talon...," Batman hangs his head. He turns to the drone that was filming and throws one single exploding Batarang at it which lives up to its namesake. The caped crusader than holds his sides, "**Forget about Blackgate...you'll be shoved into Arkham...where you belong..."**

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital**

Selina, eyes soaked and mascara running down her cheeks. She sits slouched over as she looks over Barbara Lee. She hears the door open and looks to Jim Gordon who made his way through. Gordon's eyes lock to the sight of his daughter. He makes his way to her in silence, not even giving any acknowledgement to Selina. The commissioner stands at the side of the bed, not looking away from the girl. He places his hand over his daughter's, "Thank you for being here for her, Selina"

"The doctors told you about what's wrong with her?" Selina lifts her legs on the chair to her chest and folds her arms around them, "They don't know what's wrong with her, Jim. They aren't even trying to hide it."

"Barb is on her way, Selina. You should get some rest..."

"I don't mind staying...I want to be here...just in case she wakes up...I want to be here when she does..." Selina tightens her eyes closed.

"My daughter's already suffering, Selina. The last thing I need is to worry about you... please go home. Come back tomorrow when you're rested...I'll be here for her, Lee too. You can be sure that Barbara won't leave her side either...," Jim covers his mouth as he tears up.

"Jim?" Selina slides off the chair and onto her feet.

"Fine. I'm fine...," Jim heartbreakingly answers as he still covers his mouth, "It's just...just... this is the first time I've seen my baby girl in weeks...and it's like this... she's... she's..."

Hey... it's going to be fine, right? She's not going to...- No, she won't. She'll wake up... and see you there... you have to believe that, Jim"

"The only thing that I believe right now is... my little girl could die thinking her dad's a monster... that I'll never get to tell her how much I love her again... I should have made more time for her...I should have been a better father... she deserved so much better..."

"W-Why the hell weren't you there, Jim? She needed you just as much as she needed her mother... you're right...that you should've been there...she only ever wanted for her mother and father to be happy together...she wasn't selfish...she only wanted for you two to be happy...," Selina wallows, "Why...? First Dent, now your daughter? You should have been there for them...why...why would you choose Waller over your loved ones?"

"I'm not doing this now, Selina. Please...just go..." Jim looks down to his daughter, "Just... let me be with her."

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that... I'm sorry...," Selina leaves the room. Walking through the ward, she looks on her right and spots Thomas Elliot holding an icepack against the back of his head while he was talking to Lee. Selina looks back to her front and continues on her path. She stops when her eyes land upon the screen of the television placed in one of the rooms, made visible thanks to the clear window that shows the room in full.

She sees the brawl between Bane and Batman.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

"Ughhh…" Bane grumbles, awaking to be locked behind a large glass case, "What? What is the meaning of this?" when trying to move, he realized that his arms were also chained to the floor by a metal that he could not break. He pushed and pulled as hard as he could, however, the chains even refused to budge, "Who is behind this? is this your doing, Batman!" Bane yells. His muscles and body were still enlarged by the overdose of venom, his mind was a mess, unable to form more than the basic thought.

The sound of high heels against a hardened floor echoes through the room. Bane then faces the originator of the sound: Amanda Waller who confidently stands less than an inch from the case with her arms folded, "Sorry to disappoint you, big guy... but do I look like Batman to you?" Waller examines Bane closely, "I'm afraid that I am something scarier than he could ever hope to be. Now, let's get down to business. Eduardo Dorrance, you've been chosen to serve your country in a way only a select few could..."

"I've already been in the army, didn't work out too well for me...so a hard pass"

"I don't mean in the military... I'm talking about something much more...classified, if you catch my drift," Waller holds a folder against her chest and opens it, "And you don't have a choice. Eduardo Dorrance, welcome to the team."

"My. Name. Is. BANE!" he attempts to rip his chains but with no success.

"My mistake...," Waller grins, "Welcome to Task Force X, Bane. Something's telling me that you are going to be a great asset..." as she said her words, both Killer Croc and Deadshot join on either side of her, "Now... let me introduce you to your teammates. If you get bored with them, just remember...we have more to come..."

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**\- Bruce's Penthouse (One of many) -**

Bruce sits shirtless and tenses up as he holds an ice pack against his sides which had a large bruise while holding the empty vial of venom in his other hand. He looks at the tube, trying to spot some hidden detail, something that he hadn't spotted yet. Anything that would give him a clue would have been much appreciated, but he was out of luck. Bruce's attention is taken away from his thoughts as he hears knocks at the doors to his penthouse. He stands and makes his way to the door and opens it..

He gives a puzzled look when he makes eye-contact with a familiar raven-haired woman. Selina, dressed in a black laced-up low cut top, black jeans and boots with a choker on her neck. Along with a black leather jacket that's zipped up halfway, "So... I heard that you're back... and... I just really... need to see you right now...," Bruce steps back to make space for her to enter.

"It's late, Selina. You should go home," Bruce folds his arms, "I'm not sure if the others have told you, but I'm not exactly the most sociable person right now. Don't feel like talking to anyone at the moment."

"Then... can you just listen... for me?," Selina tiredly walks to Bruce, "Can you please hear me out. I really need you right now..."

Bruce shares one look with Selina, one that gave her the go-ahead, "Fine. What's on your mind?"

"It's Barbara... Barbara Lee... she's... oh god, Bruce... she's in a coma...," Selina covers her mouth as her eyes begin to water, "The doctors are saying that she may never wake up. We thought that we knew what caused her condition, but... even after... she still won't wake up..."

"I'm sorry, Selina... I'm sure that she'll be fine. You just need to keep holding on..." Bruce glances at the tears dripping down the woman's cheeks, "I... don't know what else I can say..."

"Because you aren't even trying... maybe you don't even want to... I just... just need... I don't know...," she brings her arms around Bruce and holds him tight. Bruce tenses up at the interaction, throwing his arms out to the side in uncertainty, "My first thought... was to see you... I really need you, Bruce... now more than ever... please... please... just...," she cries. Her tears steadily begin to soak the man's bare shoulder. Bruce looks on ahead as he brings his own arms around the woman. One of his hands on the back of her head and the other on her upper back.

Bruce cradles Selina as he softly strokes the back of her hair, "I'll be here for as long as you need... I promise. Just... get it all out...I'm here for you...," he whispers to the sobbing woman who tightens her hold on him. As he too secured her in his own hold, he was not able to look at her, instead, he looks on out through the windows of the penthouse and out to the city. He sees that the night was almost over and that the sun was coming up, "I'm here for you now...,"

"...Took you long...enough...," Selina whispers. She lifts her gaze, her reddened tear-filled eyes, her reddened cheeks and her quivering lips. Bruce didn't need to be a genius to know that she was going through hell right now, "Why...why is it always you that I want... why are you the only one that I come to... why...why...," she looks into Bruce's eyes, "...I hate you... I want to, to...hate you... I...s-should hate you... but...I don't...I can't...bring myself to..."

"Maybe... it would help you if you did...you have more than enough reasons to hate me...and I deserve them all..."

"No, that's not it...," Selina's voice shakes, "I never hated you, Bruce... I just...just didn't want to be hurt again...I love you...I love you...I l-love you...," she glides her hand over Bruce's own, "I'm tired of this, Bruce. I'm done pretending to be someone that I'm not...," she then without warning, lifts herself and plants her lips on Bruce's. They part, looking into the other's eyes. In time their lips connect once more, again and again. Selina cups the man's face in her hands and leads him back and to the couch as she and he keep their lips connected.

They part, with Selina pulling off her jacket and throwing it off to the side. She then runs her hands across Bruce's muscles. In the heat of the moment, Selina then lifts her shirt up and throws that to the ground. She stands in her jeans and bra while Bruce is shirtless. Their lips mash together as they lean closer to each other. Bruce lowers Selina down to be lying on the couch and then moves to kiss her neck.

Selina wraps her arms around the man's neck, sliding one hand over the back of his head as she kicks off her boots. Both their hands roam over the other's body, caressing their skin and raising their body temperature; driving them wild. With a spare moment, Selina unclasps her bra and then begins kissing Bruce's neck. Bruce's hand moves down her thighs and to the back of her right leg. Selina curves her leg as the two reconnect their lips for much longer than before.

Bruce's lips then plant on Selina's collarbones, giving soft touches of his lips against her skin; Selina shudders as she feels her lover's lips travel down further. She holds his head as Bruce then caresses upward to her neck and then her jawline, then back down again. Bruce's full attention then goes fully to the woman's chest which made Selina lean her head back and reached for Bruce's belt to unclip it. Bruce too made his next move with curling his fingers inside the raven-haired woman's jeans and pulls them down.

They press their lips together with Selina cupping his face and holding him close to her, not daring to let go of him with their lips together. Outside and to the city, the dawn begins. The city is brightened up by the early hours, bringing a new kind of life to it. People begin their activities for the day as if the night was a million miles away. For now, the city made the most that it could of the day.


	37. Cold, Cold Heart: Part 1

**Cold, Cold Heart **

* * *

Black boots sprint across the ground, moving behind cover, Batman keeps himself out of sight as a blue streak of flames that burst out, barely avoiding him, "I'm going to kill you, snowman! You are going to be a pile of water when I'm finished with you!" a gruff feminine voice calls out, followed by another burst of blue flames The vortex of sapphire flames were countered by a strike of ice-cold winds, both cancelling the other out. Heavy footsteps come from the other end, along with a robotic tuned male voice.

"I do not think so, cretan. I will show no mercy for this transgression of yours" Mr Freeze stands in front of several of his suited henchmen. Victor Fries, a pale man with snow-white hair and cold-as-ice blue eyes. The man was decked out in a protective reinforced suit to shield himself from the outside world, red goggles and a reinforced helmet with a glass visor. He appears to be holding an oversized tech-heavy gun with two barrels, each glowing blue at their end. The cold gun had a wire in it that also connects to a small container on the man's back. Cold air slowly trails off both the man and the weapon.

"Come get it!" Firefly retorts, completely covered in a chainmail suit with armoured plating, a hood, mask and red vizor with a honeycomb pattern and with two fuel tanks placed on her back. Bridget holds a flamethrower, similar in size to Freeze's cold gun, but leaner and less well made. Behind her were her crew who wear similar attire to her without being nearly as sophisticated. She aims her weapon at Freeze and he aims his gun at her. They both unleash their elements, blue flames and absolute-zero ice.

Batman leans further away to avoid the feedback of the harsh elements, "**We had a deal, Victor!**"

"Apologies, Batman...I have altered our arrangements...," the ice man's robotic voice echoes through the narrow hallway, "We both know that this was the only that this could have ended," Freeze let loose another round of his cold gun. Firefly does the same with her flame thrower.

"Back off, Jack frost! I'm getting him! He's going to burn!" both fire and ice clash again, a violent shockwave that sends the whole hallway into a gruelling battle between both ice and flames. From back with Batman, an ice-over hand presses against the ground.

* * *

**9 Hours Earlier...**

High above in the skies of Gotham, a blimp with GCPD labelling looks over the city. Inside the cockpit, two GCPD officers look down to the streets below, "Love the view. Now I can see what a shitshow the city has become from all the way up here," the pilot stirs the wheel.

"You got that right. It sucks up here" the other officer replied, "Goddamn it all. Waller's has us all the way up here just because the bat is now using aircraft. I certainly feel our tax dollars at full use here."

"Shut the hell up over there!" a Checkmate Soldiers climbs down the ladder that leads up into the interior and walks towards them, "You're only paid to look for any unauthorized aircraft, so shut it if you have nothing to say with that"

"See...our tax dollars on full display..." the co-pilot repeats himself, "Maybe we would do a better job if you didn't keep that gun trained on us."

"Just don't give me a reason to shoot you and you'll have nothing to worry about, now keep chatter to a minimum!" the Checkmate commander points at the pair "Now get back to it!" he turns back to the ladder and begins climbing. The piolet's eyes widen as he sees a blurred object fly past outside the blimp. He removes his headgear and tilts his head.

"You see that?"

"See what?" the co-pilot asks. Then again, the thing flies past them with the pair both seeing it, followed by a screech, "What the hell?"

At this point, the Checkmate commander dismantles the ladder and turns back, "What did I just say? Keep your mouths shut! The next thing that I hear from you should only-," the whole blimp shakes as a high-pitch screech resonates from outside, not human, not like anything.

"What the hell?" the Checkmate commander reaches for his gun but is then dragged upwards to the next floor by an outstretched hand, covered by fur. The man screams as he vanishes from sight, afterwards a fountain of crimson rains down from above in the next level, covering the ladder and floor in blood with the screaming stopping soon afterwards. The pair at the wheel then get up from their seats and look on with fear towards the pouring red liquid.  
"W-What the hell is that?!"

"Jesus Christ, stay the hell back!"

From above on the ceiling of the cockpit, a creature crawls towards them. It sees in red vision and the two moving men were highlighted by a white glow every time that they moved. Man-Bat's eyes glow bright red and its jaw hangs open as both saliva and blood drools from its mouth. The beast stretches out its wings and screeches as it lunges at the pair. On the wall across from them, the shadows of three figures were on display and show their movements.

Man-Bat's rips the pair apart in a blood-filled craze, blood spatters against the same wall. The beast shrieks as it continues to use its overgrown claws to slice through its victims until all the screaming has ceased. Man-Bat's mouth and fangs were stained in red along with its snout. The winged beast crawls on all fours, bumping into the wheel and making the whole blimp spiral out of control. The cockpit flashes bright red and the emergency alert siren blares. The blimp plummets down to the bay of Gotham, being swallowed by the river and submerging.

* * *

**Wayne Tower **

Applause fills the whole hall, accumulating upon one single man. Bruce Wayne stands before the large crowd of people with a smile. He was suited in a white shirt and black tuxedo. His hair was combed back and has a 5 o'clock shadow beard. He holds a glass of wine up in a toast, "You know if there's one thing I have learned with my time away from Gotham, and all the places that I've visited... it would be this...," he lifts his eyebrows, "It's always after 5 somewhere. C'mon, guys! This is supposed to be a party!"

With one attempt, he drank the whole wine from the glass, "The wine isn't going to drink itself!"

Bruce leaves the crowd and ventures off to the bar to join a familiar face. Selina stands with her back to the counter. She wears a V-neck violet dress. Her eyes light up when she sees Bruce heading towards her. Once he was in range, Selina and he kiss, "It's really weird to see you actually drink. Won't that mess with your fighting prowess or something?" she asks with a smile.

"It was just water with food colouring," Bruce looks over his shoulder, "Have you seen Harvey? I gave Harleen an invite for them both."

"Yeah about that, Harl told me that Harvey hasn't been feeling too hot lately. They might've chose not come here tonight," Selina answers.

"I'll take it we won't be joined by Jim tonight either...,"

"There's no change in Barbara Lee's condition, Bruce. Jim and Barb haven't left her side all week, and Lee is watching over her for the rest of the time. Blüd has gone silent and Lucius... where is Lucius?" Selina puzzles.

"Here I am," Lucius sprung from the crowd and stands next to Bruce, "It's surprising just how much spare time that I've got now that I'm no longer assisting Bruce's little nightly escapades," the man then sips from his glass, "I'll take it that we are the only ones here, huh?"

Selina hums, "Seems like it. Not even Ra's daughter could join us."

"Huh?" Bruce looks over to Selina.

"...Talia...? You know... the woman who you also boned?" Selina mused.

"Oh-Yeah... I knew that" Bruce smiles, "Sorry, I have had a lot on my mind recently. Yeah, parties aren't really Tal's things, more of the introverted type" Bruce's eyes lock onto something out into the hall, something that ripped all the joy and playfulness away, "Pardon me, I'll be right back."

"Bruce?" Selina watchers the man in question leave their side.

Bruce hurries over to the other side of the room, where he encounters Amanda Waller who was also dressed for the event, in a cocktail black dress. Her hair was down to her waist and seemed to have a layer of make-up on. Her eyes fix on Bruce as she sees him walk to her, "What do you think you're doing here? This is a private event... and I know that you weren't invited, so I'm gonna have to ask to get out," Bruce tells Waller with the best try to hide his anger for her.

"Is that really how your parents taught you to speak to a woman? And they say that chivalry is dead," Waller smirks, "Please tell me, just what have I done to upset you? Weren't you at that ski resort since the day that I arrived in this city?"

"Two words, Waller: Harvey. Dent." Bruce holds back a whole slew of vicious words, "Now leave or I'm going to call the cops."

"I am the cops, Mr Wayne. Checkmate, The G.C.P.D and even your private security are all under my umbrella," Waller smirks, "Your Gotham's greatest son, so I thought that we could manage to talk without ripping each other's throats out. Look at me, I'm here tonight as someone who just wants to have a fun night, but the next time you'll see me may have a different reason behind it, understood?" Waller picks up a glass from the tray one of the passing servers.

"That sounded kinda like a threat," Bruce glares, "That's not a good way to win me over, Waller. I don't know what you have on Gordon, but a fair warning... that trick will not work on me. I can destroy you, Waller."

"Now that was a threat," Waller kept her smirk.

"No. It was a promise" Bruce takes the wine glass from Waller, moving to the buffet table and picks up one of the spoons. He then taps the spoon against the glass, "Hey! Everyone can you shush for a moment! I would like to say a few words!" he calls to the crowd, "Hey! My party, my rules!" the crowd silences, then turn to face him. Bruce smirks, "Apologies for the interruption but we have a special guest here tonight! One so special that she thought that she could just crash the evening!"

"-What do you think you're doing?" Waller glares.

"Everyone, Waller. Waller, everyone! I'm sure that you are well aware of her greatest hits! Let's see, there's having her men brutalize the DA, blackmailing the Police commissioner into doing her bidding, then there's the icing on the cake, turning Gotham into a police state!" Bruce sees the anger on Waller's face, "Now don't get me wrong, I love a multifaceted woman but Waller's too much even for me. She is one of a kind, everyone give it up for Amanda!"

Silence fills the hall.

"Can you hear all that love, Waller? You can stay if you want but I got a feeling that you won't exactly be welcomed! Thank you, everyone!" Bruce drops the spoon back onto the table and hands the glass back to Waller, the crowd slowly turns away from the two.

"I came here tonight not wanting any animosity between us," Waller confesses, "But I see how you want to play things out."

"You believed that I was going to forgive you for all the damage that you caused? You're going down, Waller. Plain and simple, now if you would...," without another word exchanged between them, Bruce returns back to the counter. Selina smiles at the returning man.

She locks her eyes on him, "You do know that she has the entire police force on her side, right?"

"Trust me when I say that she was all too happy to play that card," Bruce then looks to his side, "Where did Lucius get off to?"

"You're going to figure out eventually, so I better just tell you now. Lucius went off to the bunker, apparently one of those blimps just crashed down in the river," Selina answers.

"I better go to check it out then, sounds serious" Bruce no longer played the party-boy, but now a mere serious and driven spirit.

"Lucius can make it to the bunker just fine, Bruce."

"I meant the crash site," Bruce then goes to turn but is stopped when Selina clears her throat.

"Hmm, Bruce? No kiss?" Selina grins.

"Kinda in a hurry," Bruce is then pulled down until both his and Selina's lips touched.

"Wasn't optional. Now get going... the city isn't going to brood itself up," she sees Bruce walk through the crowd and to the exit.

* * *

**Later...**

Batman glides between the skyscrapers of Gotham, setting his sights on the blimp that was mostly submerged underwater the river. Gotham was in the midst of a strong storm with thunder and lightning, "_Okay, Bruce. Listen carefully. It just wasn't any ordinary aircraft that was downed. It was one under the control of Checkmate, likely to play spotter when it came to you. I managed to hack into its Black Box...and well...I think it's best for you to hear it for yourself..._"

[_W-What the hell is that?!]_

_[Jesus Christ, stay the hell back!]_

_Then screams and a high-pitch screech only plays on the recording._

"**Whoever was behind the attack needed a way to get up to that altitude. I doubt that any of usual suspects have access to aircraft that is advanced enough to get all the way up there and still take the piolets by surprise**" Batman lands upon the top of the aircraft, next to the hatch at the top. He opens up the hatch and slides down the ladder. Batman was surrounded by darkness with the ambient sound of dripping water. He taps the side of his cowl to activate his night-vision.

"_That's not possible. Whoever did this... I got a bad feeling that it's not human" _Lucius' voice replies to the dark knight.

"**How many people were on this blimp before it crashed?**" Batman trudges through the puddles formed by the leakage. From afar, heavy breathing peruses the vigilante. The creature tracks Batman in its red and white vision. Batman continues onward, his green-hued vision places him in the main cabin, one that looked too luxury. Though he was quick to realize that the furniture had been shredded by long claws. Batman's eyes then follow along the floor and across a trail of blood, "**You might be onto something, Lucius. There's a bunch of claw marks that don't match any animal that I've seen before**"

_"The one time that I was hoping that I would be wrong... okay...Bruce, All Checkmate enforcers all have a heart-rate monitor in their uniform...well... it looks like there are no survivors of the crash"_

Batman's eyes look down to a Checkmate Commander who looks to have been ripped apart, blood covering his whole body with bite marks all over his body, "**I don't think it was the crash that caused the casualties**" A flash of lightning storms down and momentarily lights up the whole cabin, in the very same second, Man-Bat was crawling above Batman. The beast's red eyes look down upon him and blood pours from its snout. Once the lightning faded, so did any light in the room and the beast was concealed once more.

_"Damn. You have to find whatever did this_"

Batman journeys further down and comes across even more corpses, two other Checkmate guards. They too were maimed, even missing limbs. But there was one thing that stood out: the bite marks. Another flash of lightning further away lights up the cabin. Batman's eyes look to the floor where he sees the shadow of something above him, "**I don't think that I have to worry about that. It looks like it found me**" He looks up and sees the grotesque creature.

Man-Bat lifts its arms and screeches. The creature then leaps down to Batman who jumps out of the range, "**Of course it had to be a bat, why wouldn't it be?**" he backs away while the creature steadily follows after. Man-Bat slants its back and drools from its mouth, its eyes shine bright red with black slits, "Raghggh" it growls. The Dark Knight soon finds himself backed against a wall, with Man-Bat still coming for him, "**Lucius! It's another... Bat...man?"**

_"A copycat?"_

"**...No... I mean a literal Bat...Man? He's a freaking bat!**" Batman moves to avoid a swipe of the creature's claws. Man-Bat lowers on all fours and snarls, he crawls towards the vigilante. The beast lunges towards Batman. The costumed man kicks the creature out of the air and onto its back. Man-Bat rolls over onto its knees and stands. Man-Bat jumps forward and snaps its jaws at the vigilante. Batman moves back grabs the creature into a headlock.

Man-Bat flails its wings and tries to force itself out of the grab, screeching with a deafening pitch, like an infant throwing a tantrum. Batman struggles to keep his hold on the creature, his arms were aching and unable to keep it restrained for much longer, _"Bruce! It's a bat, right? Maybe its eyes are sensitive to light, try one of your flashbang Batarangs!_" Batman loosens his hold on the creature and kicks him away from him as he reaches to his utility belt and grabs the specified Batarang.

Batman throws it at Man-Bat who was quick to move. The beast catches the object with its teeth. Batman shields his eyes as the whole area is then thrown into a high-pitched blinding light. Man-Bat is then thrown through a rampage, swinging its claws around blindly. Taking his chance, Batman then grabs Man-Bat by the ears and slams its head down and through one of the tables with force. The bat creatures body stiffens up, kicking its legs and hissing before becoming silent.

"**The thing is down**" Batman confirms.

"_Good. So I guess that means we have to find out what this creature is?"_

Batman's eyes widen, looking down where once Man-Bat was, now lied an older-looking man with a full head of grey hair. The man was fully nude and covered in the same blood that was coated over the beast, "**Not what it is, who it is. Prep the medbay, I'm bringing back a guest. Tell Lee to get to the Bunker ASAP**"

"_Hold on...by *guest* you don't mean...?"_

"**I do**" he takes another look at the man, "**You might want to also sort some clothes while you're at it**"

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

"Is that you, Harl? I didn't hear you come in" Harvey shouts from the other room. Inside the bathroom, Harley washes her hands, dousing the sink in watery bloody as she hums, "Harleen?" The blonde creeks her head over to the knocking against the door. She waves her head in a rhythm that she is humming. Once the blood was gone from her hands, she turns to face the door with a smile. She grabs the hand towel on the sink next to her and dries her hands.

"Give me a sec, honey!" she opens up and walks out to meet Harvey, "Sorry 'bout that. I had an...emergency. I thought that you were sleepin' so I didn't want to bother ya" the blonde explains as she pushes her back against the door to close it.

Harvey was still hurting, still with bandages around his left eye, "Did you know that Bruce had a party? It was all over the news...can't believe that he didn't think of inviting me..."

"Really?" Harleen acts surprised, "Huh. The first time that I'm hearin' this. Maybe B-man musta forgot or somethin'" Harley suggests, "He does seem busy."

"...Maybe..," Harvey sighs, "Yet again, I doubt he would want to be associated with someone like me at a time like this. People still think that I killed Aubrey. I can't even step outside without drawing all kinds of unwanted attention"

"Nah, ya know B-man...he has your back. That's just the kinda guy that he is" Harley chirps, "Now...I'm starving, let's order somethin' scrumptious!" she heads towards the living room with Harvey following behind. The blonde settles down on the couch and picks up a menu from the stand. She kicks her legs up and crosses them, "What shall it be tonight? I'm kinda in the mood for a classic New York-styled cheese-fest pizza! Oh my god, they are the best!"

Takeout...again?" Harvey sits down next to the blonde, "I don't know...you've been having it for the last few weeks, I'm starting to get sick of it..."

"Fair point, but I can't cook for shit... my sister was the cook in the family. I was living off Microwaves meals during my time at Arkham, sure...I could afford normal food and all...but I would forget to turn the oven off, or overheat the food...honestly, I rather just have someone else deal with all that hassle, ya get me?"

"Still though... I can cook..." Harvey commends as he takes the menu out of the blonde's hand, "I can do some rice for us. Shouldn't take too long." Harleen pouts as she sees the man stand head to the kitchen.

"I'm so...gonna kill ya" she mutters under her breath.

Harvey peaks his head around to look back to Harleen, "What was that?"

"Oh... I said that sounds good!" the woman waves at him, "Can't wait!"

* * *

**The Bat-Bunker **

Leslie Thompkins walks through the opening elevator doors into the bunker and finds Bruce and Lucius on one side of the lair and Selina who is stationed on the other end, the one that was closest to her. Lee journeys down and passes by Selina. She stops and hands Selina a scrunched up paper bag, "Here's what you asked for," she whispers to the younger woman. Selina discretely takes the bag from Lee and gives a subtle nod and subtlety puts it into the back pocket of her jeans. The doctor then goes to meet the two men "This better be important, Bruce. I had to bring out the puppy-eyes to even convince Jim that I needed to leave."

"I thought that you would want to meet with a friend of yours," Bruce moves out of the way. Lee's eyes immediately land upon the sight of a recognizable man, one of her old work colleagues. She then sees that he was strapped down to the table with restraints, then she sees the bounteous dried blood all over his body. The man was still passed out, "Robert Langstrum, 63, widower, and has been reported as missing for around seven months."

"Yeah...I was the one who filed the missing person's report. What happened to him...is he okay?" Lee rushes over and checks Kirk's vitals.

Bruce stands with his hands tucked in his pockets, "I wouldn't get too close if I were you. That isn't his blood."

"What?" Lee questions.

Lucius steps in, "He's right. This is going to sound weird...but Langstrum killed a lot of people tonight...he ripped them apart...he's a monster, Lee"

"Kirk wouldn't do anything like that. He's not the type of person to-"

"No, Lucius means that he's a monster, literally. One minute I was fighting this *bat* creature, then... Kirk here was lying in its place. We took a blood sample to analyse and..." Bruce then leads Lee's gaze to one of the computers, "His DNA is corrupted with strains from the Desmodontinae, or more commonly adopted name..."

"Vampires Bats" Lucius adds, "He's a cross-species, just how Whisper was. The only difference being that this seems to be a more unstable form of it. Whisper had the Lazarus in her system to counteract the foreign DNA."

"I-I...can I look at that sample?" Lee asks.

"Be our guest," Bruce nudges his head towards the microscope on the next table over. Lee heads over there and sees that the glass slides with the blood were already in position. She looks through the eye-piece and examines the sample. It was a match. In the blood were the same kind of blackened white blood cells that she had seen before. She twists the dial to zoom in closer, confirming her suspicions even more. She looks back to Bruce.

"It's the same...the same as that night..."

"What?" Bruce stirs.

**Several Months ago...**

Lee sits in the next room over, sitting before a white table as she squeezes a drop of blood from the needle on a glass slide before underlaying it with another slide. She slides them under a microscope and looks down through the lenses. Her right hand steadily twists the dial to zoom in closer to the image of the blood shown to her. Her eyes narrow, her attention grew and she brought her concentration up, ignoring the outside world as she did. Her mind was solely focused on what was in front of her.

Everything looks normal at first, until...

Lee's eyes double-take as she sees the white blood cells blacken as something strange and definitely out of place stuck itself to it. The first thought that came to her mind was the culprit being some kind of bacterial. One that the man hadn't previously been exposed to or protected against. She turns the dial to close-in on the selected cell. She then sees the cell reach out with thin black lines that attach themselves to all other surrounded white blood cells, turning them black and misshaping them, mangling them beyond recognition.

**Present Day**

"The night that Gotham General went dark, we had a patient come in. He apparently attached by some bat-like creature... it bit him..." Lee tells the two, "I was positioned to watch over him. I took a blood sample since he was bitten by an unknown animal, I thought I should test for any illnesses...and I found...this..." Lee points to the blood in the glass cases, "It was exactly like this. Then that guy...changed. He became more rabid, animal-like...it was infectious...It took only moments after he bit others for them to turn."

Selina joints them, "Wait? Are you for real? W-Why didn't you call for help? I could've got there to help, Harley and Talia could have helped too..."

"I wasn't going to risk you getting infected with that...virus...I would have never forgiven myself" Lee answers.

"There was a virus breakout in Gotham general...? Why did you wait until now to tell me?" Bruce coldly glares at her, "You knew about this creature...," he points at Langstrum, "...and you didn't think to tell me? Do you know...how many people this thing has killed? It was a bloodbath when I found him... and not just tonight, this thing has been out there for this long...and you knew?"

"Besides Checkmate, only Jim and I knew about that night...if I told you, you would've investigated it. Which would have tipped Waller off that either Jim or I was feeding you information. And considering your history, she would just assume that it was Jim... and god knows what she would have done to him..."

"So you believed that keeping quiet about this...was better? Lee... people are dead... don't you get that?" Bruce folds his arms, "I could have stopped Langstrum far sooner...I could have prevented all those deaths tonight..."

"You think that I don't know that? Of course, I wanted to tell you but I couldn't... not without giving away our connection to Waller" Lee sighs, "It was a lose-lose situation, no matter what I did. I'm sorry, Bruce."

"A chance at saving lives is never a *lose-lose* situation - It's just not," Bruce turns away from Lee and to Kirk, "This is exactly why I chose to disband us. I can't trust you... and you can't even trust in me...," Bruce runs his hands through his hair, "And now there's this! Kirk has killed nearly a hundred people... and I only found out about by accident! Because you didn't think that it was a good idea to tell me about him!"

"Woah... calm down, Bruce... she didn't mean..." Lucius tries to reason with the vigilante.

"No, it's fine, Lucius..." Lee looks back to Bruce, "With all due respect, Bruce. You don't get to tell me how to live. I have a husband, a life... and you know fully well that Waller is using me, Barbara and Barbara Lee against Jim. She could rip us all away from him in an instant if she thinks that Jim betrayed her! Maybe if you had a family...you would understand that... if you didn't keep everyone at arm's length... if you had a child to look after... you would see the impossible situation that I am in right now..."

"Lee! Bruce!" Selina clamours, "That's not cool. Both of you just STOP IT! Arguing isn't going to get you anywhere!"

"No..." Bruce interjects, "This is going exactly where it needs too...," he leans towards Thompkins, "You're right Lee... I don't have a family. They were gunned down in a dark dingy alley... they lied in the dirt as they bled out. I screamed and screamed...and no one came... they gave everything they had for this city, and they were killed because of it... so don't you dare act like I am the unreasonable one here for wanting to save lives..."

Selina carefully takes Bruce's hand in her own, "Hey...it's okay... we're all on the same side. We already have enough enemies, we don't need to fight each other too," she gently lands her eyes on Lee, "Love it or hate it, Lee was only doing what she thought was right. You can't knock her for that."

"She's right. We still have the big-grey bat-thing in the room to deal with," Lucius reminds the trio, "Whatever is going on, we need to drop it for now."

Bruce and Lee take one glance at each other. Bruce nods, "Fine. I shouldn't have gotten like that... but just so we're clear, this isn't an apology for what I said."

"Agreed..." Lee sighs, "Why did you even call me down here in the first place?"

Bruce walks close to Langstrum, "Any minute now, he will wake up and when he does...it's best that there's someone here that he knows. We don't know what brings on the transformation. It could be adrenaline levels, distress... or he could even do it at will. Having you here could help calm him down, he should listen to you," he walks over to the display case which holds the Batsuit, "Keep my updated on his condition, even the slightest change."

Selina slants, "Where are you going?"

"The inoculative used for Whisper won't work on Robert, it was designed to her DNA especially. And there's the variable of the Lazarus not being in his system. We have to start from the ground up...it could take days...maybe even weeks, time that we don't have. There's only one man in Gotham with the know-how to do it," Bruce grabs a test tube of blood, "He's been keeping himself out of trouble, so I didn't need to prioritize him..."

"Who?" Lee asks.

"Oh... don't say who I think you are going to say...," Lucius crosses his arms.

"Fine, I'll say it. You're talking about Mr Freeze, aren't you?" Selina asks, already knowing that she was right.

"Victor Fries? Are you serious? He's a murderer...!" Lee argues.

"Your call. Do you want Fries to help with Langstrum... or do you want to wait around until he transforms back into that *thing* and tear this place apart, because I'm not too sure that those restraints can hold him for too long after that," Bruce offers to the three, "Well?"

Lee takes a moment of silence before speaking up, "You better know what you are doing."

"How are you even going to find him on such short notice?" Lucius inquires.

"He can only survive in the cold, and we're in the middle of summer. He doesn't have much choice when it comes to hiding, I'll look for the coldest point in the city," Bruce answers.

"And pray tell, just why would Victor willingly help you?" Lee then ask.

"Freeze isn't like the others. Hasn't been for a long time. He'll listen to reason..."

Selina jests her head over to the side, "Bruce...can I talk to you for a moment?" Bruce agrees, they walk off out of hearing range of the other two. Once they had enough space to their selves, Selina bites her lip and speaks, "This Freeze... if you think he can make a cure for Langstrum, then what about Barb? Do you think that he can do that as well?"

"I don't know, Selina," Bruce admits, "With Kirk, we already know what's wrong with him. But Barbara Lee is a different story, we haven't even identified what is even wrong with her... and without that, the idea for a cure is astronomically low, because we don't even know what we would be making a cure for. But...I'll see what I can do."

"I understand...just be careful, are you sure that you don't want me to come with you?"

"No. If Langstrum does end up turning, then you are the best bet for dealing with him. I would ask Talia, but right now, we need Kirk alive. I doubt she would view him as even human at this point," Bruce holds his hands over Selina's arms.

"Got it...," Selina nods.

"Don't worry, Selina, I promise we will find a way to wake Barbara up. I won't rest until I do," without saying another word, Bruce leaves her side and heads back towards the display case that houses the Batsuit.

* * *

**Elsewhere **

Harvey Bullock restrained to the wooden chair that he sits on, his mouth forced shut by a piece of carpet tape. He nervously sweats as he hears footsteps from outside. He squirms, cowering at the mere thought of the person coming, "Knock, knock!" a woman's voice calls as the owner unlocks the door to the room. Harley, wearing her red and black leather jacket, gloves, leggings and boots that all share the same colour scheme. Her hair was parted into pigtails, dyed at each end, her left red and her right black.

Black and red eyeshadow and lipstick along with a white powdered face. In her hand, she holds a bowl of cooked rice, "Yoo-hoo! Ya still kickin'?" she grins, violently slanting her head, "Ah, ya still have a 'lil life left in ya, huh?" she kneels down, setting the bowl on the ground. Her blue eyes see the fear in the man's eyes, he tries to pull his gaze away from her, twisting his head away, "Ah? Yeah I know what ya thinkin', I don't like rice that much either... I even tried to score ya some pizza, but hey... what can ya do?"

She reaches into her jacket's pockets and takes out of chopsticks, "Ya know that Mr J wouldn't care if ya just starved to death...but where's the fun in that? I wanna do the dirty work myself," she scoops up a pile of rice between the sticks and lifts it to the man's mouth. She rips away the tape concealing his mouth, "Here comes the aeroplane!" she shoves it into Bullock's mouth, enough force to send it right to the back of his throat. Harvey then wheezes, cuffing and spitting the rice out.

"See...this why I asked Dent to go easy on the spices, not everyone's into it," the blonde shrugs.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y...," Harvey growls.

"Hmn? What's that sugar?"

"Y-y-y you crazy bitch... Jim's...going to find...me..."

Harley's eyes jolt open, "Ya still goin' on 'bout that? It's almost been a year, ya know...he's not comin'. He doesn't even know that ya missin'"

"He will. It doesn't matter how well your pal can copy me...Jim will find out...and he'll march your ass into a cell!"

"Ya do have a point there, honey. He was startin' to get too curious for his own good... that's why I had a li'l back-up just in case...," Harley twirls her index finger through her right pigtail as she looks off into the distance, "Mr J wasn't goin' to just let me kill him, so I had to do some fast thinkin'. Ya know there are so hypnosis techniques? Like puttin' someone in a deep sleep... with some time, you can put anything into their little noodle"

"What...?" Bullock's eyes narrow.

"I'm afraid that goody two shoes, Jimmy is too busy dealing with his daughter... poor little thing is in a coma...and will never wake up...unless the special word is said. And as a li'l bonus, I made it that her brain will cease all activity in a mere few weeks. That way, poor Jimmy will be holdin' out for so much hope, only to be completely crushed..." the blonde finishes with an overdrawn chuckle, "He's going to be so crushed... I'm so excited..."

Harvey looks stunned, speechless at the woman's malice intent, "...What did he ever do to you...for you to do something so...sick. What the hell happened to you...to make you such...an...evil.."

Harley grins, she creepily slants her head in a laborious manner. Her eyes piercing through him, like she was staring into his very soul. Her eyes were wide, soulless and empty of all emotion, "Ya don't wanna get in my head. I don't even like to go there. Ya people always need a reason... an explanation of why a person does such cruel things. You love that because that makes us human, and less scary to people like ya. There could be limitless reasons why...or none at all...that's what makes it so fun..."

"...let me guess... is it daddy issues? Did he skip town before you were born? An ex that pissed you off? Or were you just born this fucking crazy!?"

Harley goes back to twirling her pigtail, now she speaks, her voice void of emotion, not even the sick humour she was previously using, "Ya guess is as good as mine. The possibilities are endless. It coulda been my drunk mother's years of emotional abuse..., Me walking in on my daddy after he blew his head open... or maybe my brother who raped me for all those years. My sister who left me alone after we lost our father and left me alone with that shithead family... or maybe... I just like killing people..."

Harvey watches in silence.

"Why do ya think there were so many suicides at Arkham? When I get bored with a person, there tends to be...deadly consequences, hypnotisin' 'em to end their lives was a hoot! Thinkin' of so many crazy ideas for killin' yourself is quite the pastime...," she shrugs, "I like talkin' to ya. It's so nice to be able to be my real self around ya," her disturbed grin returns, "You're a true friend, captain. I'll be sure to make your death special when I kill ya..."

The blonde then picks the bowl up, "Now, ya need to eat. I promise ya that I won't be so forceful this time." Harvey shifts away from her. Harley lifts her eyebrows, "Do you really wanna do this momma-bird style? Whatever... ya choice," she the grabs a handful of the rice and shoves it into her mouth. She chews it and steps towards the restrained man, "C'mon, love. Give me a kiss," she grabs Harvey's cheeks and holds his head stead. She pries his mouth open and dribbles the rice into it from hers.

She digs her nails into his face, cutting deep as Bullock tries to pull away but he was too weak to do so.

* * *

**\- Across the City -**

Batman walks across the metal graded walkway that hangs over the floor below, a storage warehouse, one that was below 0' degrees easily. Batman could see his breath, even with the slightest of ones that he takes. The mist from below found itself lifting itself towards the higher floors. The vigilante treads carefully, eyeing over all his surroundings, "**I'm in. No welcoming comity yet though, guess that Freeze's own men aren't too fond of the cold here**"

_"Yeah, no kidding, the readings on your suit are unbelievable. It's nearly minus 50 in there. Watch yourself...you're in his element now..."_

"**Now can you see why I don't keep you around as moral support?**" Batman taps the side of his cowl, his mouth is then covered by to separate plates that combine. He then moves onto the railings of the walkway, looking down into the harsh and thick mist that was coating the floor below, **"If there's one thing good to come from this coldness, the blood sample should be preserved**," he throws himself off. He descends down and uses his cape to slow his fall.

He lands in a kneeling position, his fist planted in the ground, "_Freeze is going to be hard to find. From what I have gathered on him, Thermal won't help. His body needs to be kept below to zero to even survive_," Lucius tells Batman.

"**Already have that covered...his body won't give off heat, but his suit will. Any amount would make him stick out in a place like this**," the vigilante continues onward, his eyes drawn to his front. He passes the rows of shelves, "**How's the situation with** **Langstrum?**"

_"Uh, still out...*cold*…"_

_Batman rolls his eyes, "_**_You wouldn't have said that if I was still in the Bunker_**" he kneels down and looks out from the corner of the shelve that he leaning against. His glowing whites eyes spot the window across from him. The glass was made translucent by the condensation over it, but he could still make out three or four humanoid shapes moving on the other side. A splodged red shape moves along on the figure leading the others, then he spoke.

"- She has disrupted my plans for the last time - I will not let her continued transgressions go unpunished -" Freeze's voice was accompanied by a modulated echo, one that Batman presumed to have come from his suit, "- She will not stop me from saving my dear Nora-"

Batman moves to cover, "**Nora?**"

_"Nora Fries, you mean? I thought Victor killed her."_

_"- _Where are the prisoners - Have you made them tell you where they took her? -"

"..No boss. They aren't willing to talk."

" - Allow me a shot - I believe I may bring them around, -" Mr Freeze and the others leave the view of the window.

Batman looks back over to see if the area was clear, "**Something's telling me that he isn't planning on asking them nicely**," Batman taps him the front of his gauntlet, his white glowing eyes change to be bright blue. Across rooms, he locates the thermal outline of Mr Freeze and where he was heading, along with the men following behind him, "**Lucius, Freeze has taken prisoners...sounds like members from a rival gang. This could be** **dangerous..."**

_"Go, we can handle ourselves for now"_

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Jason Blüd Study **

"Our time to act is drawing nearer to an end, I hope that you are aware of that," the auburn-haired man searches through the shelves of the bookcases, "If we are not exact with our actions, then I fear that Vandal will complete his plan..." he crooks his head over to the figure standing at his study's desk, Nyssa al Ghul rocks her usual leather jacket and hood. She holds her arms behind her and on the desk as she leans back, "If that is to happen, millions of lives will be wiped out..."

Nyssa shows a nonchalant look, she nudges her shoulders, "As I said, he hasn't killed Bruce yet...even though he is going to be a guarantied nuisance for him. That only means one thing... Vandal needs him. So as long as I string Bruce along...giving only small breadcrumbs of information to him..."

"You can use him as a shield?" Jason turns, "The less Bruce knows, the less Savage will be on your tail, however, you still need to give Bruce some information to keep up your reluctant partnership. That why you are only giving Bruce little bits of information at a time... you still fear for your life..." he picks out one of the books from the shelves and opens it, "Though, there is something troubling me in this matter... if Vandal needs Bruce... I would've thought that you have just killed him just to upset Vandal's plan..."

"I would be lying if I said that thought never crossed my mind... at least a few times...," Nyssa shrugs, "I was watching over his recovery for a whole month...him just recuperating. I tried to do the deed... but I knew that I needed him just as much as Vandal... plus, it wouldn't be right to kill him when he was defenceless... when he is to die... it will be by my hands, not Savage's, not the clown nor any of his rogues..." she smirks, "I went through all of that trouble looking for him on that mountain, dragging him back to the city and resurrecting him... it would've been a waste of my time too."

"Then you did the clever thing of telling me of your existence... you knew that I would have sensed you sooner or later," Blüd sets the book down on the desk.

**1 Week Ago**

Blüd takes a moment to regain his composure and picks up the phone, "Jason Blüd - who might I be talking to?" his body stiffens as hears the person on the end speak. The voice was from a stranger, but the tone instantly told him of the speaker's lineage, from the al Ghuls. Too old to be Ra's youngest daughter, so that could only leave Nyssa.

"_Hello, Mr Blüd. I believe that you are aware of who I am." _

The auburn-haired man removes his glasses, "Well, well, well...I should've known that you would still be kicking around..."

"_It seems the reports of my death were ill placed. When I heard that *Jason-of-the-blood* was scurrying around in Gotham, I knew that you would prove to useful. We only have ten seconds until the line becomes unsecure...so I'll leave with this...I have Bruce Wayne. Come to Wayne Matter immediately, then we can discuss matters further..." _

"You what?," he waits for the person to finish speaking, "I see...how...curious. You and your family have always been full of surprises..."

_"See you soon, Blüd. Don't keep me_ waiting..." Nyssa ends the call.

**Present Day**

Nyssa folds her arms and flicks her hair beneath her hood, "In my months of travels, I ventured around the world...to the most ungodly of places. I learned his name, some of his plan and that he is not to be messed with. We must do this with absolute secrecy if he hope to succeed," she taps her fingers against her shoulder, turning her head around to see Blüd, "But there's one thing that I have yet to discover. What is it that draws Vandal to Bruce? He should be nothing special to him..."

"In my many years, I have adopted the ways of a pacifist. I find my best work comes from the books that surround this room...I never was much of a fighter, especially now that I am without Etrigan. My power is fading... and without the demon, my immortality seems to be fading by the day. During my time...I've seen a lot of men like Bruce, I was even one many hundreds of years ago. Just as they did, Bruce will eventually fall... and be forgotten, another victim of father time... there's nothing special about him...so instead of looking to the past...," Blüd opens the book, "Maybe we should turn our attention to what is to come. The future that eludes us all..."

"The future?," Nyssa smirks.

"Was it not your own father who believed in Bruce's destiny? Perhaps there are still key events yet to unfold..."

* * *

**Storage Warehouse **

Mr Freeze marches into the ice-cold room, his vision lands upon to men who were chained by the hands and legs, hanging up to the ceiling. He lifts his cold gun, "-Do not prolong this matter - this will only result in your further suffering-" his armoured hand grabs one of the men's chin and forces him to look at him, "-Where is my Nora?-." Mr Freeze hears the men's teeth chattering under the cold air, "-Contrary to belief, this is, in fact, the warmest room in the whole facility. This way, I can assure that you will not die too soon but hypothermia will eventually get the better of you...slowly. You will live your last hours in agony the likes of you cannot possibly imagine...-."

"C-c-c-c-c-c..." one of the men weakly fights against the chains.

"-Even if you tell me before you meet your end, the longer you resist, the more fingers, toes, even limbs will need to be amputated. At this moment, telling me now will ensure you won't lose any part of yourself...unlike how I face losing my sweet Nora once again...-" Mr Freeze aims the cold gun up at both of the left man's hands, "- Refuse now and I will hasten the process -."

"**Victor!**" Batman crashes through the window that leads into the room, rolling onto his knees and grabbing of the armed men, throwing him over his shoulder. Batman moves out of the way of the steam of ice from Freeze and his cold gun. The vigilante skids on the icy-ground, towards another guard who was taking aim at him. He kicks the gunman off balance and snatches his gun, whacking him across the head with the gun before throwing it.

"- Batman, what a surprise -" Freeze's modulated voice echoes through the room, his fires the cold gun, aiming one-long stream at his target. Batman moves to the third of final gunman and throws him in the way of the cold stream; encasing him in a layer of ice. Batman grabs a Batarang from his belt and throws it at the cold gun, cutting into its side. Mr Freeze glances down at his damaged weapon and throws it down, "-What are you doing here? -"

"**I was just about to ask you the same thing, Victor! Let those men go, now!**"

"- I'm afraid that I cannot do that, not until they told me where they took my precious Nora - Would you not do the same to save a person who you loved?-" Mr Freeze holds his right arm up at the vigilante, his arm had a small mantled wrist cannon, "- Leave me be, Dark Knight. I must find my wife -", his voice was cold, chilling to the bone. He sounded broken, lost and desperate. His voice held emotion, though not as much due to its modulation, "- I will not let my Nora die again, this is my chance to save her this time. If saving her means I must eliminate you...then so be it -."

"**Nora is dead. I'm sorry... but that is what happened. There is no one for you to save...**"

" - My Nora...is not gone. Strange cloned her for me...she was fine... perfect even...but then...it happened. She has begun to rot...slowly die, not the same as before...but by other means...I must find a way to save her this time...I must not fail her again-" Freeze's arm shakes, "- I cannot see her die again... and now, Firefly's men have taken her to spite me... I must find where they have taken her...her cryotube won't last long without the proper conditions...-"

"**You had Strange clone her?**" Batman's eyes widen, "**Why would he do that for** **you?"**

"- To entice me to kill you -" Victor lowers his head, "- He saw fit to use my dead wife against me... -"

**Last Year...**

**Day of the Arkham Breakout**

"What nonsense do you beckon me for, Strange?" Victor Fries asks. A cold to the touch man that was dressed in a high-tech suit with a pair of goggles covering his eyes underneath a transparent helmet. Mister Freeze looks to the professor who was stood in front of him "Have I not made myself clear? I refuse to play a part in your crude game. I am a man of science, not some muscle that you can hire to do your dirty work. Let me leave Gotham" he tells Hugo Strange.

Hugo Strange smirks as he holds his arms behind his back "Oh my, Victor. You were specifically chosen for this little experiment of ours. I am too a man of science, but more importantly, I know how to read people and you are like an open book. All the others have their motivations for joining. Revenge, greed and selfish desires. But you? You have no such things holding you to this city. That is why I thought of the perfect way to get you to play along...you are a family man, correct? Nora, your loving wife. Tell me, Victor, what has the world been like for you without her? Have you felt less restraint, maybe you lack the motivation to continue? Do you feel a great emptiness...pardon the pun, but do you feel cold inside without her?"

"Consider choosing your next words carefully, Professor. My memory of Nora brings some painful emotions to come to the surface, a pain that I will have no problem showing you. Speak your business and do it without using my deceased wife"

"Oh Victor, what if I were to tell you that you and your loving wife can be reunited in the world of the living?"

"I already warned you, Strange"

"There is truth in my words, Victor. Though your wife is indeed dead. If you were to be the one to kill the Batman...I can easily make a clone of her. A perfect copy with all her memories, hopes and dreams. It will be like you and her were never split between worlds. You know full well of my past with these clones...so I hope you will not doubt me, and I am a man of my word"

"Nora? You can...bring her back to me?"

"Relatively speaking, yes. The Nora who you married is gone forever, but I can make it so that her clone will think that she is indeed the real one. Only you would know about her origin, so do we have a deal, Victor?" Strange asks.

"Using my wife against me...that is a whole new cruel for you..."

"Deal or no deal, Victor? This is a one time offer...if you refuse my offer...being returned to Arkham will be the least of your problems"

"I need time to...think...I need time to think this through"

"Don't take too long now...I am a busy man"

**Present Day...**

Batman sees Freeze visibly shaking, "**I can't help but notice that I'm still alive. Why would he have given you her if you hadn't finished your end of the deal?**"

"- I don't want to be a killer anymore, I don't want to be a criminal either... I just wanted my wife back. So I lied, when you went missing last year, I made it look like that I was the one to kill you. Once Strange learned of my deception... I ran, taking my Nora with me. I have been on the run ever since...-"

"**You want Nora back? What if we make a deal**" Batman walks forward.

"- A deal? -" Victor shakes off, "- You are not an honourable man. You act like you are above the criminals who you fight, but you are just as willing to betray and hurt others to get what you desire -"

"**I swear that I will get Nora back for you...**," Batman's eyes soften as he reaches into his utility belt, "**But I need you to do something for me. There's someone who is in need of help. He's been exposed to a highly infectious virus, I need you to made an antidote, a cure**," Batman hands the vial of blood over to Freeze. The armoured man takes it from the vigilante. Victor lifts the vial and examines it.

"- So you are also in need for my assistance, I see. It appears we may have a basis for a deal after all -" Mr Freeze looks to Batman, "- I will get to work. It should take several hours to complete -"

"**Let these two go, Victor. You don't need to be a monster anymore... they can even lead us to Firefly and her men..." **Batman looks to the two chained up men.

"- Hurry, Batman... Nora's cryo-chamber will not last for much longer... save her, please...-" Victor then hands Batman a small circular device, "- Place this in her cryo-chamber when you find her, it will give it enough power to last-"

Batman takes the device form, Mr Freeze, "**I'll get her back" **the dark knight nods. He throws dual Batarangs at the chained men, cutting the chains and dropping them to the ground. He gives one final look to Mr Freeze before leaving. Victor looks down to the blood sample, tightening his hand around it, he picks up his cold gun and sees the two prisoners slowly make a break for the exit. He turns his attention away from the two and allows them to leave.

* * *

**Beneath Wayne Tower**

**\- Bat-Bunker -**

Langstrum stirs, grumbling as he looks around to see where he was. He was forced to full conscience when he feels his arms and legs strapped down to the metal table under him, then he sees the blood on him. He creeks his neck and sees Lee looking over to him, "What is the meaning of this, Thompkins? Where arm I?" his forces his neck to move over more to give him a better look at her. He could only taste blood, the harsh metallic aroma covers his mouth along with most of his body. The dried blood even acts as a weak glue that binds his lips together, struggling to force them apart. They were sectioned off from the rest of the level by blue cubical curtains.

"Doctor Langstrum...I can't tell you where you are. But I need you to trust me," Lee walks to the tied man, "You might want to prepare yourself for this, I need to tell you what is happening to you...what you've done. This may sound nuts, but I need you to listen...-"

"...It happened again, didn't it?" the grey-haired man faces away from Lee, "Not again! H-how did *it* get out again...?"

"You know?" Leslie leans forward, "You killed a lot of people tonight, loads more other nights. What happened to you, Robert? How...how long have you been like this...?"

"...That wasn't me, Lee. You have to believe me... that *thing*… is a pure soulless monster... I've tried to fight it! I locked myself up at night, I sedated myself... I tried everything to stop it...but it can't be stopped. It won't stop..."

"Kirk... your wife... how did she die? You never told me how she died... and you told my husband that she was still alive. If she died conventionally, them you wouldn't feel the need to hide it...," Lee comes closer, "...Please tell me it's not what I think. Please tell me that you didn't..."

Langstrum shuts his eyes tight and looks away from the woman in shame, "...I tried to stop it...I tried...but I couldn't... *it* killed her... my beautiful Francine... I couldn't stop it...! I've been trying for twelve years...to...stop it, to cure myself...but nothing works... this *thing* is forever going to be a part of me...," Selina stands outside the layer of curtains, peeking through the small gap.

"Robert, we have someone trying to find you a cure as we speak, trust me, he will do it. We're going to get you a cure... everything is going to be okay, I promise..."

"Ah, really...?" Kirk weakly laughs, "I've tried for the last twelve years, remember? I tried everything! You can't cure me... and... I can't even die..., no matter what I do, that *thing* always brings us back. I should have known better than to accept a contract from Wayne Industries...their scientific division was always subpar!"

**Across the Room**

Lucius mans the communications, "Copy that, Bruce. But...how are you going to find Firefly on such sort notice?"

_"_**_If I found Freeze in the coldest part of Gotham..._**_"_

"The opposite should be true for Firefly. Narrowing that down is going to take longer than tracking Victor. I'll start searching, I'll let you know if I find anything" Lucius answers as he brings up the map of Gotham on the screen in front of him, "I could send the drone out to check for heat signatures...but that could take hours and that could be time that we don't have...," Lucius looks to his side as Selina walks up and reaches her hand out.

"You are giving Bridgit too much credit there, Lucius. I know her better than anyone," she takes the earpiece from Lucius and puts it on, "Hey, Bruce. Don't bother going through all that effort to find her, I know every place she would think of hiding. You need somewhere hot, right? Try the subway lower levels near the Narrows. Bridgit and I always went down there together as kids, the place can feel like a literal furnace during summer"

_"_**_That section of the subway has been closed for years, even before I was born_**_"_

"Which would make it a perfect hiding spot, right? Trust me on this, I'm a street kid," Selina taps the earpiece, "I can meet you there if you want, it can be like a maze down there if you don't know what you are looking for."

"**No. I need you there for in case Langstrum turns again. I'll contact you if I need directions."**

"Speaking of which, Langstrum has woken up. Lee is checking on him as we speak... poor guy, it sounds like he's been battling that monster for years...," Selina turns her head over to the direction of Lee, "We'll let you know if anything changes. Love you," she smiles.

"**Copy that. Keep me updated on Langstrum. Batman out.**"

Selina clears her throat, "I said...love you. You just can't leave it like that."

"**Batman out." **

The dark-haired woman pouts, "Whatcha know...looks like he's shy."

Lucius with precision, takes the earpiece from Selina, "If he says *I love you* back while I'm wearing this...we're going to have a problem, got me?" he fits the earpiece on his right ear, "I got it handled here. Go and see if Lee needs any help."

"Bruce said that he would need me if he needed-"

"Come on, Selina. I know, you know, Lee knows that he was just trying to be polite. The tunnels were constructed by Wayne Enterprise, the map to the place literally has his name on it. He was even planning on setting up another Batcave down there."

"Damn, really? What are the chances?" she folds her arms, "Just how much of the city did Bruce's parents own?"

"Don't know the exact number... but a lot would be my closes guess."

* * *

**Across the City**

**Below the Narrows, Subway **

"The Wayne Industries railroad system, also codenamed as Project Skylight, originally planned to be a state-of-an-art transportation vessel for the lower-income citizens of Gotham. It went well for the first three years but eventually it drew the ire of Warren White and his crew. He used all of his leverage against the politicians to damage the project, even threatened severe repercussions for everyone involved with the project's construction, and the innocents simply using the transport."

"Wayne Industries made a tough call to shut it down before even more people could be killed. In a way, another thing that crime took from me... and the people of Gotham" Batman thinks to himself as he walks through the undergrounds, "It was closed a year before I was born. Did Selina really go down here when she was just a child? Why wouldn't she have told me about this back when we were kids..."

"This would've made a better hiding spot from those assassins that were sent after us...," Batman taps the side of his cowl, his white glowing eyes tint blue, "**She was right...this place is like an oven. Using my infrared here would just be pointless. So...looks like I need to reverse my thinking. Instead of looking for the hottest thing...the coldest would be more useful to me. The average temperature of a human body is between 35-38 degrees"**

_"Um, Bruce? Wouldn't the heat in the tunnel also increase their body temperatures?" _Lucius asks.

"**Firefly's body is covered with heat-insulation material, same goes for her crew**."

_"Wait a minute, Bruce. Shouldn't you look for Nora first? Her incubation tube should make her temperature lower enough to stand out. Maybe you should secure her first...we can't risk taking more time than we have to. Freeze even said that Nora's tube is going to need to be recharged very soon. If she ends up dying, I do not see Freeze living up to his end."_

"**Nora's dead, Lucius. Has been for years. I know how the clones work first-hand. They may have the same face, voice, mannerisms, but they are their own person. Whoever is in the tube, it's not Nora Fries, just someone with her face."**

_"Are you planning on telling Freeze that? It could be the right thing to do, but if he does learn of it...then he could not live up to his end or making a cure. Bruce... I'm all for the greater good...but not telling him would give him false hope that he could one day be reunited with his wife..."_

"**I don't like this at all either. If I tell him...he may not want to work on the cure and if I don't...he'll be punishing himself for the rest of his life to save her. The clones never last...Talon couldn't even be cured by the Lazarus, what hope would Freeze have for Nora? Either way, Freeze is going to blame himself...and me too" **Batman continues through the undergrounds, at his side the rounded device from Freeze flashes.

_"He's a criminal, a killer even. But he just wants to save his wife...maybe having that hope would mean more to him than the truth."_

_"_**_The more hope he has, the more he will be broken when he learns the truth... I need the cure for Langstrum... think of all the lives that will be saved. Compare that to one man's heartbreak, it is no contest. We need the cure more_**_"_

_"I understand. But that doesn't make it feel right..."_

Batman's eyes widen as he spots two figures talking ahead. Two masked men with yellow vizors and padded clothes. They both held a flashlight that they use to light up the path ahead of them. The Dark Knight quickly moves to hug the wall, moving away from their line-of-sight. Taking shelter in the shadows, Batman observes the two as they unknowingly walk past him, "Nah, its actually pronounced *Fries*, not Freeze. It's actually a more common mistake than you'd think..."

"Ya sure man? Everyone I know down here has been calling him *Freeze*" the second man replies.

"Because that's his supervillain name, dumbass. Have ya ever heard the guys called Firefly by her real name? From what I've learned, it's like a formality between bad guys to use each other's *Supervillain* name. Firefly, Freeze, Black Mask, Scarecrow, heck even Joker. It's a sign of respect ya know?"

"I still think it's dumb" the other man sighs.

"Each to their own, each to their own..." the pair stop near the wall on the opposite side of Batman, "Hold this will ya" he hands his flashlight over to the other man. He then presses both his palms against the wall and begins to push. The wall moves back, the goon then slides it out of the way, "C'mon. We are late to take over guard duty for Mrs Popsicle"

"**A false wall?**" Batman looks at the two men that walk in the hidden passage, "**That's not on the map. It didn't even show on my scanners...**" he swiftly moves forward and follows after the two men.

"Hey, ya hear somethin'" the left man turns and screams when sees Batman, along with the other man. The Dark Knight subdues the pair with ease.

Batman takes the costume off of one of the goons, putting it on himself. He straps on the protective material and puts on the mask with the yellow vizor over his cowl. Batman now stands disguised in the same outfit as Firefly's henchmen, "_Bruce? Can you hear me? The tracer in your suit is somehow glitching. It's saying that you are outside of the layout of the tunnels...?"_

"It's not a glitch. There was a fake wall, leading to somewhere that I don't recognize" Bruce whispers.

_"A fake wall? That's not possible... the blueprints showed no such thing"_

"Then that means... it must have been here long before Project Skylight was even commissioned. Ask Selina if she knows about it," the disguised Bruce walks down the dimly lit stairwell, "I'm going undercover to find Nora. The guys who I just knocked out said that they were meant to take over the duty of guarding Nora, hopefully, that means I won't have to deal with being interrupted."

_"Alright, take care, Bruce"_

* * *

**Bat-Bunker**

Lucius spots Selina sat outside the confines of the curtains that blocked off Lee and Langstrum from them. He walks over to her, 'Hey, Selina, you wouldn't happen to know about a secret passage down in those tunnels?" he asks.

Selina's lips pucker, "Uh, yeah. I was going to tell Bruce that but I thought it would have been on the tunnel maps. Bridgit and I found it by accident when we were kids, she was running away from her brothers and we didn't have much choice but to use it. The weird thing is, it was already open. We just thought it as a maintenance tunnel, that's all," she answers. Selina's eyes move back to the curtains, "Making a deal with Freeze...is that what we have come to? Going to a criminal for help? I know that Bruce means well with getting Langstrum a cure and all, but does that make it right? Helping a murderer, I mean..."

Lucius slowly sits beside her, "I know that this isn't an ideal situation, but right now...what choice do we have? Freeze can make a cure far faster than we could. We are on the clock here, Selina, we can't let Kirk change back into that *thing*. Enough people have already died...and you know how Bruce is with that sorta thing. I'm sure he's already a way to blame himself for this..."

"You didn't answer my question. We're aiding one murderer to help another... maybe if Langstrum was just a regular guy who needed our help, I could understand... but he has blood on his lands, heck...he's completely covered in blood right now..." Selina vents, her hands clench he knees, "Have you heard them talking in there? Langstrum did this to himself on purpose... shouldn't that make him responsible for everything he's done? Does he even deserve to be cured?"

Lucius looks over the short-haired woman, "Something is bothering you, isn't there? Let me guess...it has to do with Barbara Lee?"

Selina nods, "There's an innocent girl whose is comatose with no one knowing what is causing it, but Bruce rather spend his time...trying to help a man who has killed so many people... Langstrum should just be thrown into a cage and never see the light of day ever again... he's not a victim, Lucius."

"Look, I'm not arguing with you on that. But you have to admit that everyone will be a lot safer if Langstrum is cured. True, it won't undo all the damage that he has caused, but think of all the people that this could save in the long run."

"Maybe" Selina replies, "We know that he did this to himself on purpose… but why? What could have possibly made him want to do this to himself?"

Lucius stands, "That is the question of the hour. And who was funding his research..."

Lee quickly walks out of the cubical and swiftly puts the curtain back to conceal her two friends, "I think I've got the answer to that, and it's not good."

"What is these days...," Selina rolls her eyes.

Lee looks to Lucius, "Langstrum trusts me... well enough to tell me what caused him to become this... *Man-Bat*, he told me that his research was begun to help cure deafness, thus he experimented with bats...but not just any kind..."

"Vampire bats" Lucius ponders, "Of course he did... why wouldn't he? This goddamn city."

"There's more... if what Robert's saying is true...he was commissioned by...Wayne Industries" Lee adds.

"A-Are you for real?" Selina jumps to her feet, "You have got to be kidding me. Wouldn't have Bruce mentioned something like this?"

"That's the thing, Selina, Langstrum became infected with that virus over twelve years ago...so Bruce wouldn't have even known the project was in the works. Obviously, Thomas and Martha Wayne were already long gone so they wouldn't have known" Lee glances back to the curtains, "I don't want to believe this as much as you, but as we've learned today, Robert is many things...but a liar isn't one of them."

Lucius makes his way over back to the Bat-Computer, "If this is somehow true, there should be a file relating it on the company's archive. Luckily, Bruce took the initiative to have all of the company's dealings uploaded to the system digitally. Bruce is sometimes too paranoid for his own good, he even took into account the chance of fowl place in his company"

Selina walks up to him, "When you say *Company's dealings...just how many are on there to go through...?"

"All of them. Bruce didn't leave a stone unturned, not when it comes to his company. There could be thousands upon thousands of separate entries in the achieve" Lucius searches through the files, "Looking through the files dated twelve years ago, hopefully, it be at the top..."

"Isn't there like a keyword filter or something?" Selina grumbles, "Even with the right year, I doubt one of the biggest companies in the world only had a handful of projects. There will still be a load to look through..."

From across the room, Lee looks back to the curtains and the silhouette of the man strapped to the table. Her body froze when she realizes Langstrum was somehow sitting up, which should have been impossible due to the arm restraints. Lee pulls the curtain back and is greeted with the same sight that was eluded to her a mere few moments ago. Robert Langstrum was sitting up, breathing heavily and his eyes were bloodshot. He slowly turns his head to her.

"R-R-R-...run! It's happening... The rest-of-these-chains-won't hold! RUN!" Langstrum slams down on the table as he screams, "GET THE HELL AWAY! PLEASE! PL-EA-AGGHHH!" he spits up blood and violently shakes. His skin greys, fingernails lengthen and his arms stretch outward, same as his legs and feet, "RUN! RUN... RAGGHHH!," his pupils narrow to slits as his ears become pointed and he face stretches outward into a snout, his expanding fingers become webbed.

Lee backs up and screams, "Lucius! Selina! He's changing!"

With his spasms, Langstrum broke free of the chains on his legs and rolls off of the table and onto the floor, he gargles blood, dribbling a pool of crimson red. The skin under his arms stretches out, expanding into wings. Selina hurries over, jumping over one of the desks and picking up the tranq gun in the motion. Selina shoves Lee out of the way and aims the tranq gun at the beast. Man-Bat's body slowly becomes engulfed in fur, dark brown, almost black. His red eyes glow brightly.

He stands, slouching and feral. Man-Bat dribbles streams of saliva as it growls.

Selina fires the gun at Man-Bat, firing a tranq dart into its shoulder. The creature was visibly discomforted by the dart, but it remained standing, drooling and growling, "What the-? Why is it still standing?" Selina screams, keeping her gaze on the creature. She and Lee backway, still looking at the best while it follows them, slowly and precisely. Selina shoots again, this time hitting Man-Bat's neck, which the beast shrugs off without any annoyance this time.

"There's enough juice in that thing to down like 10 people, twenty since you shot twice..." Lee quivers.

"DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A PERSON TO YOU?" Selina yells, "Lee, my backpack, get it!"

"W-What?" Lee backs away.

"Backpack! It has my gear! Get it for me!" Selina fires again, and again, and again until no more tranq darts were loaded. Nothing came of the weapon that was more than a spine-tingling empty-clicking every time she pressed the trigger, "Go!" she orders. Lee nods before running off, she goes to grab Lucius. The man shakes his head as he looks through the display racks, ones that held various equipment that was used by the dark knight.

"Lucius...what are you doing?" Lee gasps.

"It has to be here somewhere! Where is it?!" Lucius ravages through the displays, "It has to be here!"

"W-WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?" Lee panics.

"The Nightwing project!"

"The what?" Lee looks down and spots Selina's backpack. She picks up and opens it. She pulls out the whip.

"Don't have time to explain!" Lucius runs over to the other side of the display. Man-Bat snaps its jaw and charges at Selina, who used the tranq gun to full its mouth, blocking its fangs. The creature fights against the weapon, its fangs chew down on it, cracking it. Man-Bat shakes its head, yanking the weapon from Selina's grip. The creature then bites down, breaking the tranq gun in two. The beast then throws itself towards Selina, arms stretched out and mouth opened-wide.

Selina rolls out of the creature's attack. She sits up and sees Lee running to her. The older woman throws the whip to her, Selina catches it by the handle. She then hits Man-Bat with it, cutting the beast's face. It wallows in pain, moving back and covering the cut along its cheek. Selina's emerald eyes widen as she sees a faint glow form from beneath the creature's hand, the same glow that she had seen before. Man-Bat removes its hand from its face, showing that its cut had healed with not even a mark left in its place.

"It's the same...the same as *him*…" Selina whispers.

A small device is thrown from the other side of the grounds, one that begins to flash and emit a high-pitch sound. Man-Bat throws its arms up, stretching out its wings and becoming airborne, above the three. The creature screeches as he flails through the air in a pained cry. It uncontrollably spirals through the lair, crashing into the computers, display cases and the lights in one non-stopping motion. The creature hisses, its red vison that hi-lighted its prey as bright white markers becomes blurred, distorted with no clear indication of its surroundings.

Selina winds her whip and attaches it to her belt.

Lucius runs over to Lee, "That's the Nightwing project. It normally attracts bats, but our friend here is mostly human. His brain wasn't made to be able to withstand picking up that kind of waves!" the three continues to look at the screeching creature, as it crashes through several more of lights and sends the whole floor into a layer of darkness. It then flies into the Bat-Computer, fully breaking its screen and being electrocuted by its power surge.

"OH NO!" Lucius becomes concerned as the rest of the lights around the floor lose power and the Bat-Computer turns off, leaving them all in complete darkness, "If the Bat-Computer goes offline, so does all of its tech..." Lucius, Lee and Selina look over to the small flashing light coming from the Nightwing device that slowly dims before completely turning off, "Shit!" from across the room, Man-Bat lays on its front, smoking from the electric shock. Its eyes snap open, still blood red as ever.

* * *

**(Part 1)**

**A/N: This chapter has been in the works for a long time, and had passed the 20,000 words freehold. So to spare you from dealing with a laboriously long chapter and your sanity, I have instead cut the chapter into 2 parts. This is part 1 and part 2 will be uploaded some time next week. Apologies for the wait. **


	38. Cold, Cold Heart: Part 2

**Cold, Cold Heart (Part 2)**

* * *

**Gotham Undergrounds**

Bruce walks through the boiling tunnels, dressed in the disguise of the goons. He walks in a way that mimics the two guards from earlier, copying their care-free postures. As an added detail, he even carries the gun that was previously held by one of them. Just the idea of carrying such a weapon absolutely, disgusted him, made him feel ashamed of himself. But he knew for this to work, that he would need to be as convincing as possible, and in a way, being distraught by himself is a good indicator that he was doing a more than decent job at his charade.

The protective material covering his body, helped him when it came to the heat. Normally at such high temperatures, he would be struck by the humility of the air, however, thanks to the material, he found his body regulated and able to move without feeling the effects of the current heat, "I really need to get some of this material for the Batsuit..." he says under his breath as he turns a corner, stopping when he spots another goon heading his way.

"Hey, where's the other one? Doncha tell me dat you lot are slackin' off?" the masked man stops Bruce by tapping his armoured hand on his chest, "Hey douchebag! I'm talkin' to you! Firefly was clear, two pairs of eyes trained on the prisoner at all times!"

He could take him out with ease, but this deep in, he couldn't risk alerting the others to his presence. Bruce nods, "Aye, doncha go bitchin' at me, It's not my fault dat my partner had the chilly last night! He's been on the crapper for hours, ya get me? It was real nasty when I left, I don't even wanna think 'bout that now, capeesh?" Bruce replies, attempting his best street-wise tone. The henchman tilts his head and lifts his arm up, waving.

"Fine. Fine. Fine. Just get your ass to the prisoner" the guard shoves past Bruce, "Looks like we need to reassign someone to guard duties with you..." he then leaves.

Bruce continues onward, heading down the hallway. He walks into the room at the end of the hall and spots the prize: Nora Fries, in her incubation tube. She was frozen and covered in frost. Her eyes were closed like she was in a deep state of peace. Bruce walks towards the cryotube, reaching behind him and taking the device that was given to him by Freeze. He looks for the slot for the device, spotting it at the front. He pushes the device into the slot.

As a result, a new burst of cold air gasses the frozen woman inside the tube.

{- _Power fully restored, now at 100% -}_

Bruce taps the side of his helmet, "Lucius, I reached Nora and implanted the device. The cryotube's power has been fully restored..., Lucius? Lucius, do you read?" Bruce winces as a sharp high-pitch hiss comes from the communicator. He takes the earpiece off his ear, "Dammit, you've got to be kidding me."

"No... you're going to burn..." a voice bellows from behind Bruce. He turns to see Firefly standing before him along with several of her guards. Firefly grins as she aims her flamethrower at him, "Next time you wanna try acting smart, try knowing how to speak like a street kid! Let me guess... it's you... Batman?, she chuckles "Figured Selina would tell you 'bout our secret place... but since you're here for the icicle, Freeze musta sent you..."

"**Do you really want to do this? I'm in a hurry, so don't expect me to play nicely...**" his words bring a wider smirk to Firefly's lips.

"I also figured that you would use that material to protect yourself from my flames...too bad...they don't work with my new toys..." Firefly pulls the trigger and sprays a burst of blue flames at Bruce. He moves out of the way of the flames that left scorch marks on the ground, "That's right, feel the burn!" she sprays the flames at the Dark Knight once again. Bruce rips off the material, to showcase the Batsuit. Batman makes a play to move at two of the henchmen.

With a wind-up, he kicks one of the men to the ground. He then grabs the second guy's arm and throws him over his shoulder and onto the floor. He then makes a break for the exit to the room, running out and barely avoiding another burst of blue flames from Firefly, "After him!"

Batman sprints through the hallway, "**Connection to the Bunker is severed, my gadgets won't respond. Something must have happened to the Bat-Computer's terminal**" Batman stops as he then sees Freeze storm towards him, accompanied by his small militia, "**Freeze?**"

"- Batman, how fortuitous... just the man that I was looking for, I thank you for leading me to my dear Nora, I am eternally grateful…" Victor Fries fires his cold gun at the Dark Knight. Batman evades it by clinging tightly to the right wall, "- Please refrain from making this even more difficult than it already is -"

"Well, what do ya know... Frosty is here too... just my day, both Batman and the snowman..." Firefly and her crew march up as they ready their flamethrowers, "Ha! Ya thought you could trust Freeze? Us criminals only look out for numero uno!" Firefly laughs, "Been waiting to do this a long time!" she sends bursts of blue-hued flames at Freeze who cancels it out with a blast of his cold gun. Mr Freeze and his men march towards Firefly and her crew with Batman in the middle of them.

Black boots sprint across the ground, moving behind cover, Batman keeps himself out of sight as a blue streak of flames burst out, barely avoiding him, "I'm going to melt you, snowman! You are going to be a pile of water when I'm finished with you!" a gruff feminine voice calls out, followed by another burst of blue flames The vortex of sapphire flames were countered by a strike of ice-cold winds, both cancelling the other out. Heavy footsteps come from the other end, along with a robotic tuned male voice.

" - I do not think so, Cretan. I will show no mercy for this transgression of yours - " Mr Freeze stands in front of several of his suited henchmen. Victor Fries, a pale man with snow-white hair and cold-as-ice blue eyes. The man was decked out in a protective reinforced suit to shield himself from the outside world, red goggles and a reinforced helmet with a glass visor. He appears to be holding an oversized tech-heavy gun with two barrels, each glowing blue at their end. The cold gun had a wire in it that also connects to a small container on the man's back. Cold air slowly trails off both the man and the weapon.

"Come get it!" Firefly retorts, completely covered in a chainmail suit with armoured plating, a hood, mask and red vizor with a honeycomb pattern and with fuel two fuel tanks placed on her back. Bridget holds a flamethrower, similar in size to Freeze's cold gun, but leaner and less well made. Behind her were her crew who wear similar attire to her without being nearly as sophisticated. She aims her weapon at Freeze and he aims his gun at her. They both unleash their elements, blue flames and absolute-zero ice.

Batman leans further away to avoid the feedback of the harsh elements, "**We had a deal, Victor!**"

"- Apologies, Batman...I have altered our arrangements..., - " the ice-man's robotic voice echoes through the narrow hallway, "- We both know that this could be our only outcome -," Freeze let loose another round of his cold gun. Firefly does the same with her flame thrower.

"Back off, Jack frost! I'm getting him! He's going to burn!" both fire and ice clash again, a violent shockwave that sends the whole hallway in both ice and burn marks all around. The Dark Knight's vision looks to his hand that was now iced to the ground, along with his forearm. His glowing white eyes look out from the cover as he hears the footsteps of Freeze, being able to tell by their power. He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out one of his Batarangs.

The footsteps come closer.

Batman triggers the Batarang, causing the gaps between its armour to flash orange. He holds it firmly against his iced-over hand, smoke emits from the gadget and the ice slowly melts away. The vigilante looks to his left, seeing Mr Freeze now facing with his cold gun aimed at him, "- Futile, Batman; your little toys will make no difference! Strange will eventually locate both me and Nora, thus a trade is necessary to ensure my lovely Nora's life... I promise this is not personal -"

"**I should've known that you were using me. You put a tracker in the device that you gave me, didn't you?**" Batman snarls.

"- Not quite. That would entail that I would have been aware of your arrival beforehand, most of my tech all emit a signal that is only locatable by my suit -" Victor lifts the cold gun, "- Something was interfering with the cryotube's signal, preventing me from tracking it. Once I saw the same interference block the power source's signal, I was left with where Nora was. You coming to me was no more than a fortuitous coincidence, I simply made the best of what I had at hand -"

The heated Batarang breaks the icy-holds, Batman snappily rolls out of the way of the cold gun's blast. The Dark Knight kneels, reaching behind his back. He throws down a small pile of smoke pellets to conceal himself. Mr Freeze wrists the eye-pieces of his goggles, " - Very good, Batman. However, you are not the only one with fancy toys -", Freeze's vision changes to heat-vision, spotting the vigilante running down the hall from him, "- Your body will betray you, Dark Knight -"

* * *

**Bat-Bunker **

"Where did that creature go?" Lee panics.

"The hell should I know? It's pitch black!" Selina kneels down and looks through her backpack, feeling for her helmet, "C'mon, c'mon...where are you... ah!" she takes out her Catwoman helmet and wears it. She drops the goggles over her eyes. She is then granted with night-vision, though with a low field of view. The entire world now was limited to a green filter that barely shows what was in front of her. Selina spots Lee who was standing around a metre away from her, she was clumsily reaching out to try and feel something to guide her.

Selina tip-toes to Lee, whispering to her, "Lee. Behind you, grab my hand..." she reaches out her hand. Lee turns, confused as she reaches to grab her hand. Selina firms her grip around the older woman and guides her along, "Lucius?" she whispers, turning to see if the man was behind her, "Lucius, can you hear me? Lucius," Selina walks through the floor, still guiding Lee behind her. Selina looks behind one of the desks and sees Lucius who was hiding behind it, the man was wearing his own pair of night-vision goggles.

They both look at each other.

Selina goes to speak but is stopped by Lucius who presses his index finger against his lips to try and shush her. Lucius lifts his head towards the ceiling, which Selina follows. Her heart sunk when she saw Man-Bat above, clinging to the ceiling. The beast spasms as it looks around the darkness, drooling heavily. It shrieks in a high-pitched tone, it then violently throws its head down to be looking at Lucius, Lee and Selina. The creature drops down, mere steps away from the trio.

Man-Bat arches upward and swipes at Selina. She grabs her whip from the side, moves out of the way of its claws. She then throws the whip around Man-Bat's right hand. Selina slides under the creature, tying the whip around its other hand. The creature hisses as it tries to take off with its wings but is unable due to the constriction of its limbs. In a primal rage, Man-Bat repeatedly snaps with its jaws, trying to bite Selina. She pulls herself back each time to avoid its fangs.

Selina then moves behind Man-Bat and whip around its neck, pulling down on the whip, she forces Man-Bat's snout and hands to bash together, next she brings the rest of the whip's length around the creature's snout, bindings its hands to its face. Man-Bat struggles, trying to break free of the binds, hissing, biting, screeching, it shakes its head and body, but Selina keeps her hold around the handle of the whip to keep all of it in place.

"W-What's happening?!" Lee asks, still a victim to the darkness.

Lucius grabs Lee's shoulders and pulls her back and away from the creature, "Easy now. It's just me!" Lucius takes a pair of night-vision goggles and slides them over Lee's head. The older woman shakes as she then sees the sight in front of her.

"Lucius! Do something, I can't hold him for much longer!" Selina strains, pulling down harder on the whip and pushing her right foot on Man-Bat's back, "LUCIUS!?" Lucius scampers through the dark, using the little amount of vision given to him by the goggles. After brushing off a few close calls, he found himself at one of the display cases that were broken, scattered across the floor. Lucius steps over broken shards of glass and locates the pile of equipment. He drops to his knees and rushes through the lot to find something useful.

"WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG!?" Selina winces as she feels her hold on the whip loosening the more Man-Bat fights against her.

"With the Bat-Cave's network offline, most of the gadgets are useless on this end!" Lucius replies as he throws the gadgets away.

"Wait? Does that mean Bruce can't use the gadgets on his end either?" Lee yells.

"No, his end should be good. The Batsuit is equipped with a failsafe if the network is ever to go offline! Communications will be own form him too though!" Lucius grabs a flashbang from the pile of debris. He turns to Man-Bat, he pulls his arm back, "Selina, Lee - CLOSE YOUR EYES!" he throws the device directly at the creature. Lee ducks behind debris from one of the desks, while Selina still retains her grip on Man-Bat who was still struggling against her.

Man-Bat spits the device and shuts its eyes.

The Flashbang explodes, throwing the whole room in a blinding white light and a high-pitched screech that quickly wore out its welcome. Selina screams, throwing her hold on the whip away and covering her eyes. In the ruckus, Man-Bat chews through the whip and breaks free of the bind. Lucius reopens his eyes, spotting the creature was unphased, "W-What? That worked before... don't tell me... is it...learning?" he backs away. Man-Bat snaps around to confront the still blinded Selina.

With a screech, the creature slashes her arm with its claws. Selina groans as she instinctively holds her wound. Man-Bat then kicks back, throwing its arms up and taking off upward. Selina falls down on her back, feeling her hand coated in blood from her cuts. Taking a single moment to regain her composure, she reaches for her whip across from her. Man-Bat rams back down and pins her to the ground, drooling over her. Before she could even make sense of the situation, the creature lunges forward and sinks its fangs into her shoulder.

"Agh!" Selina grunts, punching the creature to get it off of her.

"SELINA!" Lee rises.

Man-Bat is thrown off of Selina when several Shurikens were thrown into its back. A hooded female figure jumps over one of the piles of debris as they make their way towards Man-Bat. Nyssa grabs one of the blades from her back and slashes the creature, kicking it away from her afterwards. She slides on the ground, using her blade to swipe Man-Bat's feet which took it off balance, she then grabs the creature by the ears and plunges the tip of her blade into its throat.

Man-Bat squirms, spasming its wings and screeching as Nyssa continues to push her sword deeper down its throat. She stops when she sees the creature falls unconscious, falling to the ground. She stomps on the beasts head as she swings her sword away, spattering all of the blood on it across the floor. Her eyes look down, seeing herself now standing over the reverted Kirk Langstrum. She gives an amused smile as she slides her blade back into its holster.

"What's going on?" Lee and Lucius both look over to the direction of noise with their night-vision goggles. Their eyes stumble across the unconscious Langstrum, but no one else. Lee stumbles over to Selina and helps her up, "Nice work, Selina. That was unbelievable..." Lee remarks as she assists Selina to walk. Selina holds her hand over her shoulder tightly.

"-W-wasn't me. Maybe Bruce?" Selina frailly stumbles.

Lucius kneels down to Langstrum and picks at one of the Shurikens, "No. Bruce wouldn't use these... their too deadly for him to feel comfortable using..." he stands, heading towards what left was of the Bat-Computer, "I'll try to get some light in here. Getting the power back online is the main priority, without it, we can't even leave."

"We'll work on getting Kirk restrained," Selina replies.

"Absolutely not, Selina. You need to take it easy. I have it handled" Lee leads Selina towards the stairs that lead towards the exit of the bunker. She gently sets her down, "Wait here. This is not up for discussion," Lee rubs Selina's shoulders, "Stay here and take a breather. I'm asking you as both a doctor and a friend, understood?"

Selina scoffs as she sets her hand over the wound on her shoulder, "Yeah-yeah. I got it."

"Your arm..." Lee leans over to get a better look at the scratch marks, seeing the slow flow of blood dripping from the claw marks, "D-Did it get you? Those marks...look bad. I better see to them first..." Lee lifts up the bottom of her dress and rips off a stand, she then wraps it around Selina's arm, "The medical supplies in here will be impossible to find without light. I'm afraid that this will have to do for now...hang in there..." Lee knots the strand of her dress around Selina's forearm.

"I'm fine, Lee-ah!" Selina tenses when Lee pulls the makeshift bandage tightly, securing it around her arm.

"Hey!" Lucius calls out from the other side of the lair, "I think I almost got the light back on!"

* * *

**Gotham Undergrounds**

" - I have figured you for many things, dark night, but a coward was not one of them. Show yourself..." Mr Freeze walks into the room that held Nora's cryotube, "- This is not personal, it is just a means to an end. I will not let any harm come to me precious Nora... -" Freeze stops, realizing that Nora was no longer in the cryotube. At that very moment, Freeze lifts his cold gun, " - Nora! -"

"**Victor**..."

Mr Freeze snappily turns, aiming his weapon at the vigilante that stood before him, " - What have you done, Batman? Where is my Nora -."

"**I think it will be for the best for you to hear it from her**..."

"- What? -"

From behind the vigilante, Nora Fries walks out. Pale skin, blue eyes and her hair is still frozen over, "Is it true, Victor? Is what he said the truth... am I not... the real Nora?" she quivers.

"- W-what... has he told you, Nora? -" Mr Freeze lowers his weapon when he sees Nora walk to him.

"Is. It. True?" Nora asks again, more desperate in her tone, more scared and confused, "Am I just a lab experiment...? Am I even real?" she comes into arms-length with Victor. her eyes watering.

" - You are real to me, Nora... that is what matters... -" he reaches out brushes the woman's cheek, "I love you. I need you... you were always the best part of me, my humanity... without you, there is no Victor Fries, only Freeze..."

"I'm dying, right Victor...? Just like the real Nora..."

"You. Are. Nora." Freeze wipes the tears from under the woman's eyes, "You are the woman who I fell in love with, you are the woman that I adore, the most beautiful rose in the summer fields... - ," Nora holds her hand over Victor's, " - I cannot bear to see such a beautiful creature as you rot again, you are too amazing to die in such... an unfair way. You deserve a full life, but I cannot even give you that... I'm trying to save you... I have to. You are my humanity, my redemption... you have always been there to show me the light... -"

"Even the most beautiful rose eventually loses all of its petals... I am wrong, Victor. I shouldn't even be alive... I shouldn't even exist... I'm not Nora..."

" No! Don't say such things... you are the woman that I love... you are my other half... I don't care if you're not her, I need you... you have her eyes, her face, her voice. You have the same look in your eyes, the same as Nora once had, the look of horror when she saw what I have become. That look, I once feared it but now, I am wise enough to realize it was not a look of anger, simply disappointment. I will not fail you again, I promise... but I need you to light the path..."

"...Victor... all this time, this obsession to be my saviour has only destroyed you and what you stood for. You were once a great man... I have her memories, all of them. I remember our wedding, our first date... even those picnics... but... those aren't my memories..." Nora cries as she hugs Victor and cries into his shoulder, "Those are the memories of a dead woman... one that my face belonged to. I will never escape the fact that I am a lie..."

Batman stands in silence. His ears prick when he hears the sounds of footsteps coming from behind. Firefly barges into the room and lifts her flamethrower "Ah! There you are! I'm going to burn you all ali-" Batman hurls a Batarang at the corner of the room, it ricochets off the wall and hits Firefly's helmet. The villainess is knocked to the ground, the Batarang returns back to Batman and he sets it back into his utility belt.

" - Together, we make those memories real... you are not a lie. You are the proof of how amazing Nora was... just give me a chance to show you that this can work...-," Nora moves from Victor and nods.

"Fine..., but first, our friend needs our help. He came to you for help, Victor. You have me back, now it's your turn to help him, please...? You want your humanity back? This should be as a good start as any...," Nora steps aside. Mr Freeze nods as he and Nora hold their hands together. Mr Freeze looks over to Batman.

" - Even after I betrayed you, you still reunited me with Nora... I am forever in your debt, Dark Knight... forgive me..."

"**I need that cure, Victor. After that, I'll leave you two be. As long as you promise to keep to** **yourself...**"

" - Thank you, Batman -" Freeze lifts his head.

"**Don't worry about it; I didn't do it for you, Victor**"

* * *

**Bat-Bunker**

The bunker was still a mess, cluttered with broken equipment and display cases, however, the light had returned, although unstable and flickering. Selina sits at the Bat-Computer beside Lucius, she has a bandaged over neck and shoulder, along with her arm. Lee joins the two, "Langstrum is secured and dosed up enough to keep down several elephants, several very large elephants that is..." she walks behind Selina's chair, "Lucius... can you give us a moment?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Checking out the elevator was next on my list" Lucius leaves their side and heads across the lair.

Selina turns to Lee, holding her shoulder "Lee... that thing bit me... does that me-"

"No" Lee smiles, "I already checked your blood, there was already enough on the floor to choose from. Your system is normal. Back at Gotham General, the people would've turned by now," she folds her arms, "You know, it's kinda funny. I have never seen you get ill before, Selina"

"Yeah. I haven't even had a temperature ever since Ivy gave me that seed. I don't even get motion sick anymore, probably thanks to Ivy, that creature couldn't infect me... still hurts like hell though..." Selina clenches her arm, "Remind me to get my shots, will you?"

"Huh, I wonder how Bruce's doing? I hope he had an easier night than we did" Lee takes a deep breath, "I don't know what time is it, but I got a gut feeling that I'm late back to Jim at Elliot Memorial. Aw, he's going to be mad..."

"I'll go back with you if he sees the state that I'm in; he might forgive you" Selina replies.

"Lie to him even more? A lot of good that has been doing recently..." Lee sighs, "Jim and I barely talk anymore, and when we do... I have to lie to his face. It hardly feels like we're even married anymore..." her eyes glance down to her wedding ring, "Is this what Bruce has to do every day?"

"No. Bruce doesn't lie about being Batman. He lies about being Bruce. That's the man who he is."

* * *

**Storage Warehouse **

Mr Freeze stands at his workbench, watching the still in motion centrifuge. Nora is off to the side, covered in several layers of clothes. Gloves, boots, jeans, several tops and a leather jacket that has a fur collar. She wears a scarf wrapped around her neck that covers her mouth and nose, along with a winter cap. Batman stands the furthest back. The centrifuge finishes spinning and Freeze takes out the test tub, " - It is done -," he wraps his fingers around the tube.

"**How sure are you that will cure Langstrum?**"

" - You misunderstand, Batman. This is not a cure, that would entail months of research. This vial will not eliminate the virus from his body, rather it will make him and the virus itself asymptomatic. Technically speaking, the virus will still be in his blood and will be just as infectious, however, all symptoms relating to it will be eliminated. It will be harmless - Victor walks over to Batman and hands the vial over to him " - This is us now even, Batman -"

"**Not quite,** **Freeze," **Batman reaches behind his back. He takes out a vial of green bubbling liquid and hands it to Victor while he takes the first vial from him, "**Nora isn't the first clone that I've come across. I used... to know another and they used this heal themselves. He would want me to give this to you**," Mr Freeze takes the green vial and examines it while Batman slots the test tube into his utility belt.

" - Fascinating. Will this cure my Nora? - "

"**No, but it will buy her time, if used accordingly... it will give her an extra few months. Take care, Victor**," Batman turns and begins to walk away.

"Wait!" Nora speaks up as she comes closer to Victor. Batman turns back to face the two, "Batman? D-do you have someone special in your life? like a wife or girlfriend?"

Batman remains silent.

Nora nods, "Yeah, I know that it's none of my business, sorry. But I need to tell you, whoever they are to you... if you always try to be their saviour, you're eventually become the thing that'll destroy them. Just try to remember, you'll need to be saved sometimes too..."

" - She is right, Batman. I was once a good man trying to save the world, just like you. Don't put all the weight on yourself... -" Victor agrees.

"**Not here to save the world; there are already enough guys to do that."**

" - If that is what you believe. Nora, we must prepare ourselves to leave this city -" he and Nora take each other's hands.

"Where are we going, Victor? Gotham has always been our home... it's like a whole other world out there...," Nora asks nervously.

" - Perhaps, It may be one where we can be happy - " Victor and Nora both nod.

"That sounds...perfect," Nora turns back Batman, "Thank you for saving us..."

"**Don't thank me; I didn't save you**."

Nora smiles, "I hope that one day, you'll understand that there is more than one way to save someone. What we have may not last forever, but we'll have it for the rest of our lives. And I wouldn't want it any other way..."

" - Farewell, Batman - " Mr Freeze too holds a smile. Batman grabs his grapple launcher and fires it, launching him up. Now alone, Victor and Nora look at each other, both their eyes were watering. Nora hugs him and cries. Victor holds his hands around her and strokes her hair, "- Nora? -"

"I'm scared, Victor."

" - As am I -" Mr Freeze shuts his eyes, " - If we are serious about this, there will be no going back -"

"-B-but we can't go forward either if we aren't... this- this is our only path..."

" - The future is scary, we never know what will become of us, but at this very moment... I'm with you. Let's not fear what is to happen, but enjoy today, then take it from there... -" Freeze removes his helmet. Nora looks up and smiles.

"There's the man who I loved..." she and Victor kiss.

* * *

**Bat-Bunker**

Batman rides in on the Batcycle, pressing his foot down on the breaks once he reaches the podium. He kicks off the vehicle and hurries up to the metal stairs and his greeted by Lucius, Lee and Selina. He then sees the state of the bunker along with the Bat-Computer. He pulls down his cowl and makes his way to the three, "W-What happened?"

"You left us with a murderous monster... what did you expect was going to happen?" Selina still holds on the bandages, "Just tell me that you got the cure..."

"Yeah" Bruce runs over to the Medical Bay and finds Langstrum more securely tied down. He picks up a syringe needle and empties the vial into it. He grabs the man's wrist and injects it into his veins. Lee and Selina join him by Langstrum, "Are you..." Bruce spots Selina's wounds.

"I'm fine, Bruce. I've been through worse... what about Firefly and Freeze?"

Bruce crosses his arms, "Firefly and her crew should be making a home out of cells in the G.C.P.D, Freeze is..."

"Is what?" Selina asks.

"I doubt that we'll be seeing him again," Bruce answers.

"W-Wait... you let him go? Bruce... he's a murderer..." Lee interrupts, "He has killed dozens of people...how could you even think of-"

"As I said... I doubt we'll him again. It may not be much, but it's enough for him and Nora..."

"Nora?" Lucius questions, "Oh... she out of the cryo-chamber? But won't that mean that she'll... oh..."

Selina stands beside Bruce, "Are you sure that you made the right call?"

"No. I may end up regretting it later but for now... I guaranteed fewer headaches," Bruce answers as he turns to Lee, "Check on Robert's vitals. If it's all good, then we can take him to Elliot Memorial and he can finally get his life back."

"On it" Lee moves around the table to take a new sample of Langstrum's blood.

"He bit me..." Selina groans as she turns to Bruce, "Heck, I don't even let you do that to me" she jokes.

"Bruce!" Lucius gets Bruce's attention, "We have a problem. Well, several if I'm being honest. The Bat-computer's systems are down, this whole Bunker is barely holding on. The elevator only has enough power for a single trip. I'm sorry to tell you this, but this place is a lost cause. After we leave, the only way to get back here is through the Batcave's tunnel system..."

"Okay. You guys take the elevator, I'll ride the Batcycle back to the Batcave and try to get things working on that end. Take Langstrum to the hospital."

"And worse news: we found this..." Lucius passes Bruce several Shurikens, "When Langstrum went all monstrous, someone managed to get in here and take him out. Even though the system was down and entry should have been impossible... my original thought was that is was Talia, but whoever it was didn't want us to find out who they were...you might want to look into this..."

"Nyssa," Bruce thinks to himself before he speaks up, "I'll look into it when I can."

Lee returns to the three, "I don't know what Freeze did, but I am close to naming it a miracle. Robert's blood...is completely clean. I'll take him to Elliot Memorial ASAP!"

"Take Selina and Lucius with you. I doubt you can carry Langstrum by yourself. I'll finish things here" Bruce suggests.

Selina raises her eyebrows, "Lucius and Lee have that covered. I can come with you too-"

"That may be true but you need to have those wounds looked at. Take it easy you three," Bruce cuts her off.

"You too, Bruce" Lucius smiles.

* * *

**\- Across the Known Universe -**

**Apokolips**

Flames rage wildly upon the surface of the planet, the sky burns with rage and an unnerving silence is all that is heard. A cloaked figure, with stretched fingers and red eyes, makes their way towards a shadowed figure who was sitting on a large throne. The figure in question was shrouded in darkness with their eyes and veins glowing bright orange. They were muscular, very much so, "My lord..." the cloaked figure kneels before the shadowed being, "We have finally located the Mother Box... we know where he is... he is on the planet known as Earth, what do you want us to do?"

The shadowed figure's eyes narrow, "Earth? The same place as the Kryptonian? Interesting... find Vandal but do it quietly. Alerting the Lantern core now will only disrupt my plans, DeSaad. Send Grail on the hunt..."

"As you desire, Lord Darkseid..." DeSaad replies, looking up to the New God, "Th-there is something else, your lordship. There's an anomaly occurring in a city on Earth, one known as *Gotham*. There appears... to be a servant of the dark one, the Bat Demon..."

"Barbatos... the dark one?" Darkseid muses, "A force like that could be the key... the key to what I have longed for... Anti-Life..."  
"Master?"

"Bring me Barbatos' servant...alive..." Darkseid commands.

"Yes- absolutely, your greatness! I will see to it that your will, will be made a reality!" DeSaad rises up, "We will have Grail hunts down both Savage and the dark one's servant!"

"No. Vandal can wait, have Grail focus only on the dark one. Do. Not. Fail. Me." the New God voice booms.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Bruce's Office** -

Bruce sits behind his desk, deep in thought. He faces the windows facing outward into the city that he fought to protect. Legs crossed, index finger against his temple, he remains in silence as he sees the early hours of the moring seep in through the darkness of night. The bright hue of the twilight hours fights off the night, the city is brought into a new era of light, though for only so long until the night would take over once again. Although Bruce had been awake for over a day, his eyes tirelessly watch the outside world.

His thoughts run back to earlier in the night:

_\- But I need to tell you, whoever they are to you... if you always try to be their saviour, you're eventually become the thing that'll destroy them. Just try to remember, you'll need to be saved sometimes too... -_

Then like a gentle snowflake falling from the heavens, a white-thorn rose descends down, passing below the window. Like a leaf being blown by a gentle breeze. Bruce's eyes widen, he recognizes the rose. He grasps the arms of his chair, leaning forward, "Aljamal Alqati" his eyes narrow.

**\- The Roof of Wayne Tower -**

Bruce steps out onto the roof, the early hours of day bask him. He looks to the ledge of the roof, there stood a man dressed in red. Vandal Savage stands, his back turned to Bruce, The immortal holds out his hands, looking down over the city. His lips curve once he becomes aware of Bruce's presence, "Gilgamesh was called a god and a man; Enkidu was an animal and a man. Funny isn't it? Even since mankind's inception, they craved immortality... in some twisted way, I have become that of which they've desired to ascend to..."

Bruce steps closer, "You're forgetting something about that story..."

"Oh?" Vandal Savage turns his head, his long hair being blown by the breeze, "And just what might that be, child?"

"Gilgamesh fails" Bruce walks closer, "He's left as just a regular guy at the end..."

Vandal Savage lifts his head up and holds his hands behind his back, "Is that what you believe, naïve child? Well, then I must ask you this: Do you believe that I am talking about myself, Alwatwat? There are many ways to become immortalized. In the body, in the soul... in legend..." the immortal smirks, "At the end of his journey, Gilgamesh was humbled. A once kind soul grieved with the pain of a great loss... he travelled the world for what he desired..."

"Last time we've talked, you said something about there being a battle for this world? Just what the hell did you mean by that?" Bruce coldly glares.

"Ah yes..." Vandal Savage turns, stepping off from the ledge to become equal to Bruce, "You seek answers, rightfully so," he reaches behind his back and pulls out his Mother Box, "Though history would have us be enemies, I rather see us as kindred spirits. I. Am. Not. Your. Enemy. For if I was, you would already be dead a thousand times over by now..."

"What do you want with me?" Bruce comes closer, "Just what the hell do you want with me!?"

"I do not have such selfish human desires as *wants*. I do not *want* anything from you... no, my friend. This matter far outreaches human nature, because whether you deny it or not, deep down you are privy to the truth. The truth that you have been trying to hide from yourself... fight it all you desire, you know it to be true," Vandal Savage holds up the Mother Box.

"...And just what would that *truth* be?" Bruce keeps his glare.

"Come. Come and see for yourself... allow me to show you just what this crusade of yours will accomplish..." the Mother Box glows, surrounding the two in a bright flash of light, bleaching the whole surrounding area. Bruce's eyes widen as he hurries to look around him. Surrounding him was a city on fire, a red sky and screams coming from all around. Vandal Savage tilts his head.

They both appeared to be standing on the ground, far below on the streets. Bruce's eyes widen, spotting dust and bones all around, "Look. Not just with your eyes but your soul too," Vandal than blurs in a white streak behind Bruce. He grabs the back of Bruce's head and forces his eyes to look in the direction that he desired. The vigilante's eyes tremble, his heart sinks and he feels as his whole body suddenly become cold. From not too far in the distance, Bruce is greeted with a sight of horror.

There were seven makeshift gravestones: One that had a pole planted in the ground along with a red torn cape, one that holds the House of El crest. The second: A broken blade and lasso. The third: A lightning symbol logo attached to the leftovers of disintegrated red material. The fourth: A green ring that was heavily damaged. The fifth: A mace that is surrounded by a pile of bloodied feathers. The sixth: a blue torn cape covered in ashes. The seventh and final one: A dirtied skeleton under a torn variation of a Batsuit.

"W-What is t-this? WHERE THE HELL AM I?!" Bruce screams, breaking free from Vandal's grip. The vigilante rushes forward, nearly tripping over.

Savage scoffs, "You are not asking the right questions. Put simply, this is not a matter of *where* you are...but *when* you are. My child, what you see before you are no more than what is to become of both you and your allies. This...is your grave. The outcome of your crusade." Vandal looks up into the sky, "Beautiful, isn't it? Death... a fate that we all share, mostly... mankind celebrates the will to live, yet are equally quick to fear the mere notion of accepting their demise..."

Bruce turns, glaring, "Kinda funny coming from you. You are the poster boy of denying death..."

"No... how wrong you are. Fate, destiny, Kismet, whichever you preferer... is all of ours' for the reaper to one day come knocking. I may live forever, but time is vast. No one truly escapes it clutches...it shall always find a way to claim you, that is its will..." Vandal smirks, "...And when that moment comes...I will be ready, as I have already accepted the inevitable, tell me something, have you done just that too?"

"I plan to be around for a lot longer, to take down guys like you. I don't care what you are planning...I will stop you, hear me!" Bruce yells.

Vandal points up, leading Bruce's gaze to follow. The vigilante shakes once he sees a large planet in the sky, covered in flames and surrounded by a storm of demonic beasts, red lightning strikes down and ash falls down upon them, "To stop me now would be to set this day in motion. Without me, this world is doomed, along with all of its people... face it, you will fail this world. But I shall not. Humanity will survive...though they will need to adapt...if they are to fight off the looming threat...Apokolips"

"W-what..."

"A world of heroes this was, yet look at how it turned out... deny it all you want, everyone has... a dark side. Without a world where darkness can prosper, light can never truly shine. Good and evil, such childish nonsense. How can there possibly be any heroes or villains in a world where this will happen? Doesn't matter who you save or hurt...this is the ultimate outcome, thus no one truly makes a difference..."

"Whatever it takes... I'll stop you..." Bruce warns.

"That remains to be seen, farewell for now... we'll see each other again soo enough. But if you want answers, then go to the island of the gods. Your destiny awaits..." the Mother Box in Vandal's hand flashes, once again blinding the whole area. Once Bruce regained his vision, he finds himself alone on the roof. Vandal was nowhere in sight. Bruce is then fully embraced by the sun and the early hours of the morning. Then, a single raindrop his down on his cheek, then followed by another, and another. Soon he was being drenched in the rain, but he stands in place, still keeping his eyes to the city.

"Island of the gods?"

* * *

**\- Across the City -**

**Barbara's Apartment **

Barbara Kean stands outside the bathroom, knocking on it, "Selina? Are you alright in there? You've been in there for a while..." she waits for a response and does eventually get one.

"Washing my hair! Be out in a minute...!" Selina's muffled voice calls out from the bathroom.

"No, it's fine. I was just worried about you. Take all the time that you need," Barbara then leaves. From inside, Selina sits at the top the Bathtub, legs crossed and tears in her eyes. She was visibly shaking as she looks at her hand. In her hand, she held a pregnancy test with a positive result. She covers her mouth as she watches in silence.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

** \- New Jersey, Gotham City -**

**Gotham Train Station**

_"The last stop is right ahead, please remain seated until we have ceased movement, for both yours and other passengers' safety, remain seated. The stop will be accompanied by a Checkmate ID check, please follow all instructions when asked, have the required ID ready. Your compliance will ensure a quicker process, thank you" _the conductor's voice announces across all the carriages. Once the train made its destination, the doors opened with the passengers exiting in a some-what organized line.

Several Checkmate commanders approach the people, one at each line, "Listen up and listen good. IDs ready to show, this will take as long as has to or it can be as quick as you want it to be. That all depends on you, got me? We'll give you the clear when we are happy with what we have seen!" the leading soldier calls out to the people. However, the was still one more passenger on the train. A woman walks out, arms by her side as she observes the scene.

She has long black loose hair with a fringe separated into three even sections, just above her blue eyes. She wears a white corset with black trimmings around the top and arms, fishnet arm gloves, black leather pants and knee-high boots. She also wears an above waist-length leather jacket starting from her chest with shoulder-length sleeves. She has a black choker with a pentagram emblem at the front. She wears a black belt angled around her waist and black nail polish.

She walks across the platform, ignoring the order to line up. She stops when she is intercepted by a Checkmate commander, "Stop right there!"

"Is there a problem, Officer?" she asks with a small smile.

"Damn right there's a problem. Get in line-" the man goes silent when the woman's eyes glow purple. He moves out of her way, "You're cleared. Welcome to Gotham...". The dark-haired woman continues on her way until she walks out into the streets of the city. She slides one hand on her hip, her hair is blown by the gentle winds. The buckle of her belt in the shape of a curled Z, "This is Gotham, huh? I think that I'm going to like it here..."

* * *

**And that's the second part of Cold, Cold Heart. Thanks for reading.**


	39. Maria Kyle

**\- Maria Kyle -**

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- CEO Office -**

**"**_we'll see each other again soon enough. But if you want answers, then go to the island of the gods. Your destiny awaits"_

"Boss?"

"Boss?"

"'Hello?"

"Huh, B-man?"

"You in there?"

"Earth to Bruce"

"B-Man?

"Oh for... STOP IGNORING ME, B-Man!" Harleen yells.

Bruce stirs from his thoughts, nearly jumping out of his chair, "Huh? What? What's going on?" he looks around, seeing Harleen standing at his desk, "Oh, hi...?" he eases down, interlocking his fingers and smiles at the blonde, "Sorry, Harley... I was... forget about it. What's up?"

The blonde smiles, "I've been standing here for ten minutes trying to get your attention... that's *what's up* with me. I brought you those plans on that *project skylight* or whatevs. And thanks to you, I am now late for my lunch break," Harleen sets the file down by Bruce. The billionaire takes the file and opens it, looking through the papers inside.

"Thank you, Harley. Feel free to take an extended lunch."

""Ya got it, B-man" Harleen chirps. She heads for the exit, walking out the doors. She stops, peaking her head back in through to look to Bruce, "Uh, B? Ya lookin' a bit down? Everythin' alright on your end?"

"Peachy" Bruce delves back into the file.

"...Say...," the blonde snakes her way back into the office, pushing her back against the doors to close them. Harleen blushes, looking over Bruce, "Uh... can I ask ya somethin'?" she shyly plays with her hands, walking to Bruce's desk.

Bruce rips his eyes from the files to make eye-contact with her, "Harley, I'm trying to work. If you have something to say, then just say it."

"W-would ya like to get a coffee? Maybe uh- we can talk? I kinda miss your company..."

"Maria?" Bruce stands.

"Huh? Maria?" Harley turns to see a blonde woman standing at the doors.

Maria Kyle walks with her hands in her pockets, "Bruce? You've grown...into quite the man."

"Oh my..." Bruce leaves his desk and makes his way to her, "You're in Gotham? Does Selina know that you're here? This is... this...," he spots the look in her eyes and recognized it. Fear, she was afraid. Scared for her life even. He Notices Maria's eyes to be identical to Selina, even with the way that they trembled to fear, "... Something's telling me that this isn't a social visit, is there something wrong? I should tell Selina that you are here..."

"Actually, Selina is the reason why I'm here. I need your help," she stops him, wrapping her hand around his wrist, "I tried talking to her before, but she didn't want to hear me out. She doesn't trust me, rightfully so... I have hurt her so many times..."

"Selina didn't tell me about you coming to Gotham..." Bruce says under his breath, "How long have you been here?"

"A few months, I've been trying to get by...but there's only so much you can get on the streets," she tells Bruce who leads her over to his desk, "This city is even crazier than I remember, it's a mess. I need your help, Bruce, please..."

Bruce faces Harleen, "Could you leave us?"

The blonde sadly nods, "What 'bout our coffee?"

"Rain check," Bruce replies as he sits back down, Maria doing the same.

"Oh...okay. I'll have lunch...alone, again...where everyone can see my loneliness because I'll be alone...all by myself, in the café that is usually dominated by couples...and not people who are alone... which I'll be...because I'll be alone..." Harley pouts as she leaves.

Maria turns to Bruce.

"She's.. new..." Bruce plays off, "Would you believe that she used to be a psychiatrist? It was a paid gig and all..."

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital **

"He's fine. Do you want me to say that another hundred times?" Tommy Elliot reassures Lee. They stand at the bedside of Kirk Langstrum, "Vitals are normal. He's good to go. Honestly, I don't see why you felt the need to admit him here... there are a lot more people that are in more need for these beds."

Lee observes the unconscious Langstrum, "I know that, but he's been missing for seven months. I wasn't sure if he was fine or... needed treatment."

Tommy eyes Lee, "Very strange, since you're a doctor too. Weren't you, his right hand back at Gotham General? Mr Langstrum here isn't showing any signs of trauma or anything that would indicate illness. This is standard stuff, Miss Tompkins, or Mrs Gordon? I'm sorry, which is it?"

"Tompkins. My husband and I agreed for me to keep my name, thank you for taking care of him. It really means a lot," Lee thanks him.

"Oh hush, Lee. Any friend of Bruce...is a friend of mine. I'm just doing my due diligence," Elliot looks over to Langstrum, "Truthfully, I'm just glad that I managed to help someone here. There's still no change in the girl's condition..."

"I know..." Lee closes her eyes, "It's awful. While I'm treating a stranger, my husband's daughter is across the hall, holding on for dear life. I feel like I can help everyone, besides her... I feel like I'm failing her, her mother and her father. I feel useless..."

"Hey..." Elliot taps Lee's arm, "You're doing your best. That's the only thing that we can do in this situation. It may not feel like it, but there's not much else that we can do. You're making a difference here. Think of all the low-income families that we are helping, that all the other hospitals would just turn away. Don't ever tell yourself that you aren't making an impact,...okay?" the man smiles.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- CEO Office -**

"Let me get this straight, someone's trying to kill you? And Selina just turned you away?" Bruce asks as he sees the worried look coming from Maria, "This... Have you gone to the G.C.P.D about this? This is very serious, Miss Kyle. Your life is in danger"

"And tell them what? That's there's an assassin after me that has chased me around the world? It's too late for me, any day now, I am expecting to be killed. I was just hoping, no wishing that you can talk to my daughter. I want us to not be on such bad terms when I die...please... help me with this request..."

Bruce leans forward, "One issue with that request, Miss Kyle. You're not going to die. I promise you that you won't. For now, I have a friend in the G.C.P.D. His name is James Gordon, I'm going to let him know about the situation, for now... you're going to stay here... this building his highly fortified with security, you will be safe..."

"You believe me? Why...? Cole and I tricked you into giving us that money...why would even think of trusting me again? I don't deserve it..."

Bruce stands, "You didn't trick me. I knew what you are up to, just like I know there's more you are not telling me. Your body language is telling me that you still have a few secrets left. Cole borrowed that money from the Falcone family, I wanna know why? Why rely on a crime family based in Gotham when you were nowhere near New Jersey. Quite odd that Carmine would have agreed to it?"

"Carmine...was a very interesting man. Dig enough and you would find a heart of gold..." Maria replies.

"Another thing that is bothering me, he left Selina alone. Now, Sofia is leaving Selina alone. That doesn't sound like their usual modus operandi. Usually, if the mob's got an issue, they let everyone in the family know about it... and Sofia's petty enough to keep up that tradition."

"I wouldn't know. Sofia and I haven't been formally introduced. So... you don't trust me? I understand... I'll take my leave..." Maria gets up.

"I don't believe you but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you die. I don't know what you feel the need to hide, but it going's to come out. If Sofia is behind the hit on you, she will use every means to turn people against you, so you better hope that what your hiding won't make you worse than her in my eyes..." Bruce leaves the desk, "But first, Selina needs to know that you are here. She will want to talk to you..."

"She won't be happy to see me. She hates me, she hates me..."

"Maybe so, but she has a chance to reconcile with her mother, a chance that few people get. She will be beyond relieved for closure. Trust me, Selina will be there for you, regardless of what you have done. She will be there for you, she will be..."

* * *

**Later**

**Barbara Kean's Apartment **

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HELPING HER?!" Selina yells at Bruce, "SHE'S A LAIR, A THIEF, SHE USED HER OWN DAUGHTER TO GET YOU TO GIVE HER THAT MONEY! She made her bed, now leave her to sleep in it. Leave her to die in the gutter!"

"Maria was right, should've gone for the phone call..." Bruce says to himself. He holds his hands up in defence, "So, Selina. She's your mother...and is fearing for her life. And she only wants to make things right with you. Personally, I feel that you should try to make amends to your relationship with her."

"NO! I can't believe you, Bruce... you're picking her side? After she abandoned me for the streets, left me to fend for myself, only to come back and destroy what little respect that I had for her? She had a chance to make thing's right, and she blew it. She decided that Cole were more important to her than her OWN daughter! And look what happened, Cole screwed up and pissed off the Falcones. She can die for all I care," Selina, still red-faced sighs.

"If what she is saying is true, then it's my job to help her. If her life is truly in danger, then I need to be there to save her. Whether with you or without you, I'm not letting your mother die. Trust me, Selina. Your going thank me for this one day...," Bruce tells Selina, "But your help will be more than valuable. You don't have to trust her or care for her. I just need you to be there for her. Maria hasn't been the best mother for you, but maybe...you can be the best daughter that you can be for her..."

Selina shakes her head, "Like hell. She doesn't deserve to even have a daughter! I'm sorry, Bruce, not her. She's dead to me. Nothing will be lost from her actual death," she turns her back on the man, "My main concern now is Barb, Bruce. My mother doesn't even compare to my love for Barb. Now please...just leave me alone. I'm tired..."

"Okay..." Bruce agrees, "I can see that I'm not making any progress here..."

"No. No, you're not and will not. What kind of parent abandons their child? Then have the nerve to come back, only to use them, to twist their emotions. She's just sick, Bruce. She should have been the one to bleed out on crime alley, not your parents..."

Bruce's body stiffens at Selina's words, "No matter what happens, no matter how bad a person is, no matter what they have done, I have never wished that fate on anyone," he holds onto Selina's shoulder, "Do you have any idea just what I'll give to see my parents again? Not a day goes by where I wouldn't would give everything to have them back. But no matter how hard I want them back, truth is that they're gone and never coming back. Sure, you might hate your mother now... but one day, you're going feel something. A lingering feeling that will haunt you... you're going to feel regret and hate yourself for not taking this chance to help her. You don't have to forgive her, Selina... you just need be there for her. That's all that she wants from you."

"I hate you," Selina bites her lip, "I really, really hate you sometimes..."

"So... does that mean that you'll talk to her?"

"...I don't know... maybe? I'll consider it. That's the best that your gonna get from me," Selina throws her arms over her chest and heaves, "Just promise me one thing? Don't believe her. Help her all that you want, but please don't fool for her lies..."

Bruce heads towards the door, "Selina, I'm not saying that your anger towards her isn't justified, that's not for me to decide. That's a call that you have to make on your own," he walks out the door, holding his hand over the frame. He turns his neck back and looks to the woman, "When you feel ready, go to Wayne Tower. You'll find your mother there... take care, okay?" he walks off, sliding his hand from the door frame. Selina walks over to the door, keeping her eyes on Bruce's back.

She closes the door and stands her back against it, "You an idiot, an adorable idiot..."

Bruce walks down the hallway, taking his phone from his pocket. He opens it and dials, "... Lucius. What's the ETA on Gordon and Bullock? Good. No, tell them that something just came up. I'll meet them shortly, heading back now" he ends the call and stuffs the phone into his coat's pocket. A look of determination posses Bruce's features, his eyes narrow.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Lobby -**

Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock enter, walking shoulder-to-shoulder, "Holy damn, who would've thought that you'd be getting a call from Bruce anytime soon? Gotta say, Jim, this could be a chance to repair that broken relationship with him. Try not to mess this one up, partner."

"Bruce sounded serious. He probably didn't have a choice but to bring us into the loop, whatever this situation is," Gordon looks ahead, "He certainly didn't make it easy, putting Waller on blast at that party. She was pissed, and I do not envy Bruce right now."

"Oh, come on, Jim. Don't deny it, you loved the look on her face. I know that I would have drunk her tears," Harvey Bullock, along with his partner, make their way to the elevator and head upwards, "She's been driving the whole city wild. More Gothamites are after head than Penguin or the other usual suspects."

"Crane, Tetch, Cobblepot, Ivy, Nygma, Valeska... are still at large. Fries has been keeping low. We need to deal with them soon, maybe then we can have Waller and her men out of the city and finally get back to normal..."

"Well, normal for Gotham," Bullock shrugs.

The pair reach their destination and step out onto the floor. Gordon looks to Bruce's office and spots a familiar blonde, "This is going to go well," he sighs. He and Harvey walk over to Harleen. The blonde sees them coming towards her, with a look of disdain, she looks to Gordon, "Bruce called me. He said something about needing our help. He didn't tell us anything else besides that. Is he around?"

"You are here...?" Harleen glares at Bullock, "I wasn't aware that Bruce called for you... funny that he would do that since you are the jackass who stood by and did nothin' while Harvey got his face bashed in..."

"Huh?" Bullock touches his face, "I don't remember that-"

"Dent" Gordon corrects Bullock..

"B isn't around. He went to talk to Selina. I don't know what he wanted to talk to you 'bout, so if you would excuse me, I wanna get the hell away from you. Toodles," Harleen leaves the two in the dust.

Bullock taps his feet, "Let's face it, partner, that went as well as is possibly could."

"I don't think you can use *well* to describe the way that went," Gordon marches forward, followed by Bullock. Lucius appears from the side rooms, greeting them.

"There you guys are."

"Here we are," Gordon fakes a smile, "So Bruce called us here but couldn't be assed to meet us here? This is his office, so he would've needed to purposely go out of his way to not be here..."

Lucius fixes his cufflinks, "Mr Wayne is currently out on business, he will be joining us soon."

"Hold on, Blondie told us that he was out seeing Selina?" Harvey asks.

"That is apart of Mr Wayne's business. I feel that it is best to explain behind closed doors. Follow me," Lucius leads the two inside the CEO office and seals the doors shut. Once inside the room, Harvey and Jim spot Maria Kyle.

Lucius sets himself behind the desk and looks to Maria, "It's alright. They're good cops, the best this city has. You can trust them."

"He's right, not to toot my own horn but I haven't taken a single bribe going on seventeen years," Bullock smiles, "Totally trustworthy..."

Gordon slides his hands into the pockets of his coat, "Bruce called us as a favour to help you? What's going on?"

Maria stands, "I'll start from the basics. My name's Maria Kyle, and someone is trying to kill me..."

"Kyle as in... holy mother of gossip," Bullock removes his hat and holds it against his chest, "Selina's mother in the flesh..."

Gordon turns to Harvey, "Is that what caught your attention? Someone's trying to kill you? Do you have any clue who that might be?"

"Sofia Falcone"

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital **

"Selina... you can't be..." Lee rubs her eyes as she looks to the woman that is sitting in the corner of the room, "This... does Bruce know? Does he know that you're pregnant?" Selina looks down to the floor, arms over her knees, "Selina? Are you even listening?"

"Yes, I hear you," Selina lifts her gaze, "Bruce doesn't know. How can I even go about telling him? What would he even say? Would he even say anything? My whole mind is hurting, doesn't help that my mother is back in the picture, this whole situation couldn't get any worse..."

"You picked a great time for this. As if there wasn't enough going on lately," Lee stresses, "So this is happening, just great. Selina, do you know just what this will entail for you and Bruce? Are you prepared to be a mother, is Bruce ready to be a father?"

"I KNOW!" Selina thrusts herself up, "I know that this whole thing is going complicate things between us, I know that I know that... so just stop it!"

"When you asked me to get you that test, I thought that you were just being cautious. I'm not mad that you got yourself pregnant, just disappointed that you would choose a time like this? It's your life, Selina...I respect that, but this is a less than ideal time, with Barbara-Lee... and everything else going on right now," Lee tries to calm down Selina.

"Don't you think that I know that? When Bruce and I... It was in the heat of the moment. I don't think either of was thinking of what was going to happen, we just thought of what was happening there," the dark-haired woman confesses, "I just needed someone, I needed him. And now I'm pregnant, with my mother barging back into my life... I'm scared, Lee... what if I ended up making all the same mistakes as she did? What if I become the monster that I claim that she is?"

Lee rubs her eyes, "That sounds rough, Selina. This must be quite emotional for you, with your mother and all. I'm here if you want to talk. But maybe you are better off talking with Barbs about this, you two always had a stronger connection," Lee picks at her pager when she hears it bleep, "Duties calls. Tommy needs me."

"Isn't it quite weird that you work for someone way younger than you?" Selina asks.

"That *someone's* name is on the building, so I'm willing to make an exception," Lee simpers playfully as she leaves the room, leaving Selina alone. With time, the dark-haired woman takes a seat again and stays in silence.

Minutes go by, nearing passing for an hour until someone joins Selina in the room. The woman lifts her gaze to find Sofia Falcone at Barbara-Lee's bedside, "I hope that I'm not interrupting," Sofia saunters to Selina, "Last time we were face-to-face, I gave you an offer. Batman's identity for Barbara Lee's survival... I believe that I have been more than gracious with the time that I gave you. So sister, what shall you choose?"

Selina stands, "Get the hell out of here, now!"

With her hands on her hips, Sofia comes forward, smirking, "I will, once you make your choice. I told you sister, that I can't be the only one contributing to our new-found family bond. I'm starting to feel like you've been using me. Well, I did what you have asked up to this point, now it's time to pay the piper," she comes closer, "Are you willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent girl, just to protect some guy who is too stuck up in his vendetta to pay you the slightest of mind. A man who will never love you. Will you really choose that over the life of this girl?"

"Shut up!" Selina slaps Sofia, flinging the woman's face to the side. Sofia looks back to Selina, gently brushing a small splat of blood from her bottom lip. Though she was hurt, Sofia still had enough smugness to smirk back.

"So...it's gonna be like that, eh?" Sofia chuckles, "What would your mother think of you for letting a poor girl die? I guess... I'll just have to ask her, if I even get a chance to," she turns and heads out, "Gloves are off, sister. I lover you dearly, but I guess...this is the way that you want us to express our care, right? By death and destruction...," she reaches the door and creeks her neck back to look over to Selina, she taps her nails against the door, "I do care for you...but I also have a reputation to keep up. If I let it slide with you, everyone will expect the same. I have to make an example outta you."

Selina hurries to the door, "What are planning to do?"

"Oh, nothing...," Sofia leans her head back, "Nothing that I wasn't already planning. Truth be told, your mother wasn't in any danger, not with you on my side. But... maybe, this is exactly what you need, to finally show you...that I'm am not to be screwed with...," Sofia exits out into the ward, now surrounded by her guards, "Nice catching up with you. Do take care now...," she marches down the hall. Sofia turns to one of her guards, "Tell them that the hit is back on, and doubled in price..."

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Café, Ground Level -**

Bruce walks into the café area of the ground floor, spotting a familiar blonde woman at the end. "Harley, do you think that you can do me favour? I would really appreciate it," Bruce asks the blonde who stares blankly at him. Harleen sits in the café of Wayne Enterprise Tower, legs crossed and slurping her coffee like a child. She sets her drink down and slants her upper body to be facing the man.

"What's up, B-man?"

Bruce sits down next to her, "I need your help. See...Selina won't give her mother the time of day. No matter what I say or do, she just doesn't want to hear her out. There are some...underlying issues. Some...that I am not equipped to deal with, but maybe for a psychiatrist like you..."

Harley gives a stretched smile, "You want me to get between those two? I dunno 'bout that, B-man. I worked with criminals... Mommy issues are a whole other can of worms. You should just get someone else to do it."

"C'mon, Harls. I need you. Selina trusts you, I feel that you can make some progress. I'm not asking to have them be best friends, just for them to be in the same room for five minutes without any hostility," Bruce leans forward, "If we don't do something to fix their relationship... Selina will end up regretting not trying to get to know her mother. Selina doesn't even want to listen to me, she thinks that I turned against her. Please, Harley?"

"Maybe Selina doesn't want it fixed? Maybe she never will...," Harley takes another slurp of her coffee, "And she might view what you're doin' as a betrayal of her trust, B-man. From her point of view, you're tryin' to make her apologize for the pain that Maria is actually responsible for. Selina is the victim in all this, yet ya are chastisin' her for not wantin' to talk to the woman who abandoned her," Harleen explains, placing the cup down.

"That's ridiculous, Harls. I'm not taking any sides in this," Bruce tires to rebuttal.

Harleen reaches out and grabs the man's hand, "And there's where ya are messin' up. Ya should be choosin' Selina's side, ya should be there for her, whatever she'll end up deciding... Okay, B-man? I understand why this whole thing is important to ya..."

"Huh?"

Harley sits up straight, "I may be oversteppin' the boundaries of our kinship, but I believe that this sudden urge to mend Selina and Maria's relationship has to do with you not havin' the same chance with your parents...," she traces her thumb over Bruce's palm, "You might be projectin' your feelings for closure for your parents onto Selina and her mother, and as a result, projectin' your personal feelings onto Selina. It's normal for someone who lost their parents to desire closure, maybe just to say farewell to them..."

Bruce sits in silence, refusing to make eye contact with the blonde. After a few moments, he looks back to her, "...Did you just psychoanalyse me?"

"Don't be too down, B-man...you read like an open book anyway, I already know all your secrets," Harleen chirps, "If ya want my advice, some relationships just can't be mended. My sister and I haven't shared a single world since I lost my father, and I'm in no hurry to talk to her. And don't get me started on my mom."

Bruce removes himself, getting up, "You're right. I can't make Selina reconcile with Maria. I should tell Selina to forget it."

"Wait, wait, wait... I never said that" Harley stands, "If Selina decides to come, then that's her choice. I said that they may not be able to mend their bond, but I never said that they shouldn't try. Just don't get your hopes up," the blonde explains, "Listen, If I get the chance, I'll see if I can find a way to get them to talk. But I'm not going as hard as you did. These things need... nuance . We can't go forcing them."

"I understand," Bruce holds onto Harley's shoulders, "Just try your best okay? And uh... don't worry, you'll be compensated for your time?"

"Oh, Bruce... I don't want ya money," Harley nods, "A date will do."

"I'm-sorry-you-want-a-what?" Bruce sputters.

"A date. As in dinner. Maybe at a fancy restaurant. Tomorrow maybe...?"

"Uh, I...? What?"

"Platonical, of course!... If you so choose...?"

"I-would-very-much-like-to-choose-that," Bruce stammers, "Selina and I are sorta in a thing right now," he reaffirms his grip on Harleen's shoulder, "You are a nice girl, Harls. A very nice woman that Selina will hurt if she learns that you asked me that. It's for your safety." Bruce takes his hands off Harleen and heads off, "Gotta go, I'll send you a fruit basket," he jogs out of the café, nearly clashing with a waiter. Harleen sighs, tapping her temple.

"Next time...next time..."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

**\- Across Gotham -**

_"$2,000,000 as agreed upon, half now and the other half after the job is finished"_

"An effortless task," a raspy voice answers, belonging to a shadowed figure. They slide dual swords into the holsters on their back, "Have the money wired within the hour, or I'm coming for you after," the figure then loads a sniper riffle onto their back. The man steps out of the shadows, being a grey-haired man with an eye-patch over his right eye, wearing a black and orange chromed tactical suit. He holds his arms against his chest, sliding in magazines into a pair of handguns that he holds, "Time to go to work."

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- CEO Office -**

"Is Bruce not coming?" Maria asks.

"He'll be here, promise," Lucius tries to reassure Maria, holding his hand over her shoulder, "Trust me. He won't let anything happen to you."

"He's right that I won't," Bruce enters the office, looking to Gordon and Harvey, "Thanks for coming. I trust that Lucius got you updated on the situation?," he rounds the desk, "The building is on high-alert. Anyone without authentication can't get it, elevators have now been made inactive, and security is sweeping the floors. No one can get in here without us knowing."

"Sounds like you've got a handle on it, guess we aren't needed," Harvey chimes in.

"Not exactly," Bruce looks to his computer's screen, showing the security footage from the their floor, "That's not taking into the possibility of corruption in the ranks. You guys are here because you are the best cops that I know. If it comes down to it, you'll need to be Maria's last line of defence."

"You're putting a lot of trust in us, Bruce...," Gordon lowers his gaze, "It means a lot that you can put your faith in us, Listen, Bruce...we need to address this, with what happened with Dent, I understand that you may not be able to fully tru-"

Bruce looks to Gordon, "Gordon, I would appreciate it if you left our personal issues out of this. This is for Maria's safety, that's all. After we can confirm that she safe, I expect you to get the hell out of my building."

"That sounds fair," Gordon agrees.

Harvey shrugs, "Shouldn't we just take her to the station, there's a literal army there that can protect her."

"Too risky," Lucius replies, "Not only the journey to there, but there's no telling just how many of those guys are on Sofia's payroll, we would basically be handing her over. She's much safer here with us, where we know that none of us is working for Sofia."

Harvey sits in one of the chairs off to the side, "Couldn't we just arrest her? She did try to kill Jim."

Jim runs his hand over his chin, "Apart from the army that she has with her, arresting her is impossible, thanks to our good old pal Aubrey having her cleared of all charges," he paces back and forth, "As awful as it is to say, I'm sleeping easier now that he's dead. Fewer ways for scumbags like Sofia to get off free."

"Yep, Dent did us a real favour...blowing out Aubrey's head like that," Bullock gets comfy in the chair, kicking his legs up and yawning, "Not gonna lie, I almost danced on that son of bitch's grave.

Bruce glares, "Dent didn't do it. He was framed."

Bullock leans forward and holds his hands in his lap, "We'll never know for sure since Aubrey didn't like having cameras in his office, personally, even if Dent did pull the trigger, I say he should get a bloody medal."

Gordon looks at Harvey with suspicion, "That would mean that he shot an unarmed man, doesn't sound like something that you would agree with, Harv."

"Eh, maybe after a few drinks," Bullock leans back.

In the meantime, Bruce concentrates on Maria, "So Sofia hired someone to kill you, do you know anything about that person? Any detail? Anything that could help us identify who we are dealing with? It'll help me protect you and ensure your safety, Miss Kyle."

"*Protect me*?," Maria laughs nervously, "There's no need to act so toughly, Bruce. You're not a hero," she ruffles her hair, "I never saw him close up, just in the distance. I barely saw anything, but what I saw was enough to know... he's good. Probably the best in the business. I just know his name... that's it..."

"You know the name of the man trying to kill you?" Bruce comes in closer, "What is it?"

"..."

"What. Is. His. Name?" Bruce repeats.

"...Deathstroke..."

Bruce's eyes widen, drained of all power and might, "...I made a mistake... I have to get you out of-," he freezes, spotting a glowing red dot overlay on the back of Maria's head, "GET DOWN!" he tackles her to the floor, as the windows to the office was shattered by a bullet. Gordon, Harvey and Lucius all drop to the ground and find cover. Bruce holds Maria close to him, dragging himself and her behind the desk, "Quit! Don't even make a sound!" he tells the others.

**Outside**

Deathstroke stands on the ledge of the building, several blocks away. He drops his rifle and tilts his head in amusement, "Fast reflexes for a simple playboy," his raspy tone becomes blunter, "Would've been too quick anyway... very well, let the game begin..."


	40. Deathstroke

**\- Deathstroke -**

* * *

**Wayne Tower, Lower Floors**

"Those were some quick reflexes there, Bruce," Jim Gordon compliments Bruce, throwing an uneasy look his way, "Guess we should be thankful that you were lucky enough to notice the laser sight in time. Any later and...," the commissioner turns to Maria Kyle who was been attended to by paramedics in the lobby. Bruce folds his arms and leads towards the woman with Gordon following. Bullock was off to the side, giving information to the cops around the scene.

"She stays here. Keep her away from the windows, lower floors, even vents. We can't take a chance, the price of it could be her life," Bruce orders Gordon, "The R&D department meet those requirements, as well it has its own security system. Maria will be the safest there."

"I want to keep her here? After an attempt was just made on her life? Hate to break it to you, Bruce, but this is now a police matter...which means that this is now under the authority of...," Gordon pauses, looking at the entrance where Amanda Waller enters with the company of SWAT, "Goddamn it."

Like a spider crawling towards prey trapped in its web, Waller saunters to the pair, "Bruce Wayne, how nice it is to see you again. I hear that you had an assassination attempt in this building, it's very strange how these weird events always circle back to you..."

"This day could not get any worse...," Bruce sighs, covering his face.

"That remains to be seen," Waller snaps her fingers, "I can't go having such a high-standing Gothamite such as yourself go unguarded when there's a merc around. Bruce Wayne, I believe that you would be better off in protective custody."

"No, no... you got this all wrong. Bruce isn't the target. Maria Kyle is," Jim tries to tell Waller, but to no avail," two Checkmate Soldiers surrounded Bruce at both of his sides. Waller stands with her hands behind her back with a smirk.

"Unless you two have actual proof of her being the target, I'm afraid that your Mr Wayne will be guarded. Maybe...we should go back to the G.C.P.D... You can count on me, under my care, you have absolutely nothing to fear...,"

Bruce sees one of the Checkmate soldiers reach out to grab his arm, he yanks himself away and glares to Waller, "That's not happening. I want you and the rest of your men out of my building, now!"

"I'm afraid that's not in the cards, we have reason to believe the culprit behind the attack is a... target of interest. One that we have been tracking for years...," Waller snaps her fingers again, "Bring me the file," she orders. A third checkmate soldier comes closer and hands a folder over to Waller. She takes it, "Meet Mr Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke," she passes over a seemingly old photograph of a member of the army, the image was in black and white and was torn at the edges, "We believe that this is the man that tried to kill Maria Kyle...which in of itself is strange..."

"How so?" Gordon looks to the image of Slade.

"Well simply put, Maria is still alive... not many people can claim that they survived an assassination of attempt from our friend here. In fact, I believe that she is the only one. You can imagine how I am a tad bit curious about the nature of the situation? How did she survive, in fact, it appears that she wasn't even shot...," Waller gives a disingenuous smile, "It's not like Wilson to miss like that or give a warning shot."

Gordon throws a quick glance at Bruce, for a split second they connect their gazes. Jim turns back to Waller, "I was watching her and spotted the laser sight. I jumped in the way and took her to the ground just in time. Any later and she would be dead," Gordon explains.

Waller eyes the commission from head to toe, "Quite the remarkable feat for a man of your age. But...that would mean that you were here at the time of the shooting...and NOT doing your job, no wonder that was emitted from your account along with Bullock's"

"As far as I am concerned, helping people when they need it is my job," Jim replies.

"It will be *Was my job* if you keep this up. Now...," Waller focuses her attention onto Bruce, "Mr Wayne... a word in private, please?"

"Does that also mean a lack of your personal militia?" Bruce asks coyly.

"Hold on," Jim jumps between the two, "Anything that you are going to say to Bruce, you're going to say to me too. I don't want you thinking that you can go manipulating him when no one is watching."

Waller shrugs, "Fine, but only if Bruce isn't concerned with what I might want to discuss with him. Something's telling me that this is something that he would want to keep to himself."

"Fine" Bruce recently agrees to Jim's dismay, "You wanna talk? Fine, but a bit of warning...I have my own choice of words for you too."

"You can't be serious, Bruce... you can't trust her-," Gordon interrupts.

"Maybe not. But I remember a time when I trusted you," Bruce leaves Gordon's side and follows Waller.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

"What do you mean by *you missed her,* just what the hell is that supposed to mean?," Sofia stagnates, standing still and glaring at the man before her, "Just what the hell am I paying you for when you can't even kill a regular human woman! Two million... Two million dollars, we agreed on that. I even paid you half of that upfront, because I thought that you could accomplish such a simple task..." she clenches her first and bites her lip "Why is she still alive?!"

Slade Wilson, a fully grey-haired man that sports an eyepatch over his right eye sits across from her, he wears a grey muscle shirt, cargo pants and black combat boots. He smirks, full of confidence and fearless. He holds a glass of wine in his hand that he taps his digits against, "My job is to kill, not explain myself to you. She will be dead before sundown, mark my words."

"And heed mine, Mr Wilson, don't fail again! Or the deal is off, hear me?" Sofia throws her issues to the front of their conversation, "If you don't accomplish your mission, this and any future business between us will officially be cancelled..."

Slade sits forward, hands over his knees, "Then you best hope that I will never be paid a price that warrants you to feel my blade."

* * *

**Wayne Tower, Lobby**

Selina Kyle walks in through the lobby, spotting the ground of Checkmate soldiers that were crowding the floor. She then finds Harleen stood by the café. Selina makes her way towards the blonde, barging past several of Wayne Tower's own security guards who were conversing with the Checkmate commanders, "Harles? What's going on here?," she asks as she comes into range of Harleen. The blonde quickly grabs the dark-haired woman's arm and leads her away.

"Thank god that ya here, ya aren't gonna believe this, some nut shot into B-man's office...," Harleen explains, clearly perplexed and hyper.

"W-What? Oh my god...is Bruce..."

"Nah, he's fine. Ya mother was the target, luckily the boss got her to cover before the whacko could finish his job," Harleen looks around, "And to make things worse, look who's here?," she pans around the room at the Checkmate Guards, "Dunno who tried to kill Maria, but whoever it was...these thugs are gettin' involved... it's completely nuts here..."

"Where's Bruce?" Selina asks.

"There are some nasty rumours goin' 'bout that he went off with that Waller lady. Who knows why B-man thought it was a good idea to do so..."

"Lucius?"

"He's busy chattin' up the Checkmates guys and Gordon 'bout this buildin's security and all the weak points...," the blonde adds.

"Wait, Jim is here?" Selina keeps her surroundings known to here.

"Yep, an' that partner of his is with Lucius. Bruce called them over to watch over ya mother before things went down here. Just the thought of some mad man goin' after your mother to kill her in the same place as I am is making scared..." Harleen chirps as she rubs her hands over her red cocktail dress and black leggings, "I'm so nervously that I am sweating like crazy..."

"Well try to get yourself together, you're not the target, neither is Bruce," Selina rolls her eyes, "This is exactly why I told Bruce to stay out of my mother's business. He's going to get himself killed over something as worthless as her..."

"S-Selina?"

Time stops for Selina, seconds suddenly held the weight of entire days. Her emerald eyes widen and her lips dry, seemingly all at once as she hears the voice, the voice of the woman who had caused her so much grief and suffering, the voice of her mother. She feels her entire body freeze and her spine tingle. Her hands stiffen and her legs unbalance and shake. Then it happened, all the anger, all the hate and pain that she did her best to hide, all her darkest emotions that she hid from the world, all became too strong and broke through any mental barrier she had.

Maria stands, dressed in a black capelet coat, blue jeans and a scarf around her neck. She wears a pair of boots that were severely worn and gloves that appeared to be falling apart. She stands before Selina, but not with the courage to look her daughter in the eye, instead she desperately avoids eye-contact, even hanging her head in shame, "I...I-... It's good to see you again... you...look good. I-...didn't know if you'd even come here..."

Try as she might fight against her body, Selina couldn't stop her eyes from watering, "I-I'm not here for you. I thought Bruce was...never mind," she forces her gazes away from her mother, "I hear that Bruce got you to cover before you were killed..."

Maria nods, "Yeah, that friend of yours seems to want me to live even more than I do...he's quite a hero. I can see why you-... why you find his company so comforting...he makes it seem like everything is going to be okay...even when you know that it's not."

"You don't know a thing about him," Selina bites her dry lip.

"I know that he loves you. And that's all I need to know... you and him...are perfect...," Maria replies, scratching her nose, "I'm relieved that you have him in your life, vice versa. You two are from two different worlds, that's often when the strongest forms of love are found..."

"You don't know anything about loving another person. You didn't even love your own daughter, you never even tried... and honestly, I'm glad that you didn't. My life would have been worse with you in it...," Selina confesses.

"I know...," Maria shyly keeps her head locked to the floor, "I know that you'll never forgive me, but I just want you to understand...understand that everything that I did...was for you..., I need to tell you the truth...I need to...please... that's the last regret that I have..."

"I'm done talking. I'm done listening... don't you get that? I'm done with you...," Selina wipes her eyes and turns, "There is nothing you could say, nothing..."

"Selina..." Harleen looks to her friend, "Are ya sure this is where ya wanna end it? I'm not going to fault ya for whatever ya choose, just know...I'm here for ya, no matter what ya decide."

"Good to know that someone is," Selina exhales.

Maria slowly lifts her head and locks onto Selina, "You already know, don't you? She's told you...?"

"Who told her what?" Harleen ponders.

"Selina... Sofia's already told you, hasn't she? Of course, she did...just one last way to get to me...," Maria repeats, "You know who your father is. You know that Sofia is your sister..."

"S-say-what-now?" the ice blonde's eyes widen, "Should've taken B-man up on his offer to pay me..."

"Yes, yes she told me. She told me...she told me...," Selina hisses, "Everything you ever told me about my dad was a lie, just another way you tried to manipulate me. Well, Y'know...I'm done. Done with you and Bruce. Now get the hell out of here! Go find some dark alley and die there...," she spits, then storms off. Harleen calls out her name and tries to reach out to her, however, Selina barges past and ignores her attempts to grab her attention.

Maria covers her mouth in shock, "...Selina..." she merely whispers her daughter's name. She too breaks, stepping away and rubs her eyes as she sobs. Harleen looks between the two fleeting women, one her friend and the other someone in need. She sighs and follows after Maria.

"B-Man's never gonna let this one go if I let her wander off..."

* * *

**\- Outside Wayne Tower -**

Amanda Waller and Bruce Way stand shoulder-to-shoulder, "I'm sorry for what happened to Dent. I know that the two of you are close," Waller begins, arms folded and left leg curved back, "I've seen my fair share of troubled cities, but Gotham certainly takes the cake. This city is full of crazed maniacs, now guys like them are popping up all around this country. This city has always been ground zero for these freaks, they don't listen to reason, only power."

"Is that you attempt at a half-baked apology? Don't make me laugh, Waller. You're not interested in making friends," Bruce scolds her.

"Neither are you apparently," Waller bats her eyes, "I was just trying to clear the air, that's all. So I'll just cut to the chase. Anyone that wasn't born yesterday would know that Gordon couldn't have moved that fast to get Maria out of the way of the shot. Bullock would have even worse luck and I doubt Miss Kyle spotted a target on the back of her own head in time. That only leaves you, Mr Billionaire himself...," she smirks, "Am I correct?"

"..."

"Okay...then, I'll take that as confirmation," Amanda slants her neck to Bruce, "Now that's one answer, yet so many more questions. How were your reflexes that sharp? You spotted the target and threw Maria to the ground, just in time to evade the fire...without even getting hit yourself..."

"...Just got lucky, I guess..." the man was quick to answer, faking a smile.

"*Luck*?," the raven-haired woman says with a clear tone of amusement, "Let me tell you this, I doubt any of Checkmate could have done the same movement as you and come out on the other end as unharmed. And then there's something else that is bothering me... you could have died, you would've died if not for *luck*, yet you are remarkably calm and collected. Most people would be frightened for their life, begging to be put into protection... but not you, not you..."

"That's simple, Waller. I'm not the target, never was. But right now, Maria needs help, I can't get distracted. Every moment I waste is another opportunity for the shooter to strike again," Bruce holds his hands together.

"Which could end up doing us a favour...," Amanda smirks, "Slade Wilson has been a person of interest for two decades. We have never been able to catch him, but today may finally break that cycle. For the first time, we have a Target of his right in our grasp. Mr Wilson's only option is to come to us."

Bruce turns his torso, facing his top half at the woman, "Please tell me that you are joking. You can't seriously be willing to use Maria as bait."

"What if I am?" Waller challenges Bruce, "What will you do? Slade has murdered dozens of high-ranking officials, both from this country and all around the world. He has come close to starting international incidents numerous times. So what if I have to use some washup criminal to draw him out? Better her than the next guy to be on his hit list."

"You...," Bruce looks away, "That is beyond wrong, Maria is not a tool for you to use."

"She is whatever I want her to be, Wayne. Slade is far too dangerous to get away, far too dangerous..."

"You have no right to-," Bruce stops when he hears his phone ring. He takes out of his pocket and flips it open, holding it to his ear, "Lucius?"

_"Get up here quick, Bruce. I'm in the R&D wing."_

"Lucius, what's wrong?"

_"It's Maria, she's MIA. I looked everywhere for her. She's not in the building."_

"What? 'kay, I'm heading up now," Bruce ends the call and returns his phone to his inside pocket, "Gotta go, business beckons," without saying another word, Bruce was already taking his leave. Waller looks in silence, slowly forming a grin.

* * *

**Wayne Industries Labs **

**\- Research & Development -**

"I'm here," Bruce enters the lab and walks to Lucius, "Any luck with getting a fix on her location?" the older man looks to a monitor, bringing up footage from the cameras across the streets of Gotham. Lucius looks through the feeds, stopping on one.

"This might take longer than expected, Bruce. Without the bunker active, I'm forced to use a less advanced system to locate her. We aren't even working with facial recognition software... we are going to need to do this the old fashioned way, with our eyes..."

"Keep looking," Bruce turns his head, "Slade isn't one to waste time. Most likely, he's already on the prowl."

"This Slade guy, you seem to know a lot about him. I'm guessing it's not because he's a real stand up guy," Lucius turns to face the computer, "Jackpot. Over here, Bruce," he points to the feed in the top right. Bruce leans forward and spots Maria trudging through the streets a few blocks away, along with Harleen who was frantically following behind, "It kinda looks like that they're heading to..."

"Gotham State Park, this is bad. It's a popular attraction for families around this time of the year if Checkmate finds out where she is. We could be facing a mass shootout there if Deathstroke gets there...," he makes his cue to leave, "I need to get there before things get out of hand. Try to keep this under wraps for as long as you can."

"You suiting up, Bruce? It's nine-thirty, the sun has barely set. Harleen and Maria will likely be on their own there" Lucius tells Bruce.

"More reason for me to get there quickly."

"Be careful."

* * *

**Gotham State Park **

**\- North Side -**

"So are ya willin' to talk 'bout what happened back there?," Harleen asks the woman sat next to her. Both her Maria were sitting on an old bench. "Some words were said, some...less nice than others. Mostly on Selina's side...," the blonde sees the nervousness from Maria, spotting her slow yet rigid movements, "Ya may not want to hear it, but I'm here for ya...if you wanna talk."

"I'm sorry...uh-," Maria stammered.

"Harleen. Friends call me Harley," Harleen replies.

"'Kay, Harley. I appreciate the effort, but I know that you are only doing this because of Bruce," Maria rubs her gloved hands together, "It's strange how some guy that I barely know is more willing to help me than my own daughter... this is something that he shouldn't be so fixated over..."

"Honestly, that's just the kinda guy that he is," Harley kicks her legs, "Did B-man tell ya that I'm a licenced psychiatrist? He's indeed driven to save you, but it's not to be herald as a saviour or anythin' like that. Truth is, he's so focused on saving your life cuz there is nothin' that he wishes for more than to have the same chance to save his own parents. In a way, he sees you as a way finally make peace with the fact that he was helpless to do anything to save 'em."

"Figured something like that was going on. You'd need to have been living under a rock to not know what happened to his parents," Maria scratches her scalp, "I'm beyond grateful for what he has already done for me, but now I'm coming between him and Selina. The last thing that I want is to ruin their relationship, probably the only thing that I haven't tainted in Selina's life..."

"Oh c'mon, there's no need to be like that," Harleen looks to Maria as she taps her hand against her hip, "Ya shouldn't be blamin' yourself for this. All Bruce is trying to do is save you, Selina can't call foul him for that. Sure, she might not like all the trouble that he is puttin' himself in, but she would never demonize him for doin' it."

"Bruce doesn't know, does he? Selina hasn't told him," Maria breathes into her hands, "She hasn't told him about who her father is. Once he finds out, it's going to cause tension between them. It may even break them apart...if Selina isn't the one to tell him," she then looks up, hearing thunder. Then she sees rain begin to pour from above, first gently that becomes heavier over time. Harleen holds her hands over her head to protect her hair as she squeaks.

"Is that what you're worried 'bout? The secret that you kept from Selina her whole life could potentially split her and Bruce up for good? So what if it does? If their love is strong enough, not that or anythin' can break them apart. If B-man can't accept her after learnin' the truth, that's not your fault," she stands and holds her hand out to Maria, "C'mon, let's head back. The tower is the safest place for ya right now, plus we're kinda gettin' soaked here."

Maria nods, "You're a sweet girl, I hope Bruce and the others appreciate you," she stands up and pulls up the hood from her coat, "Be honest with me, do you think Selina will ever be able to forgive me? For everything..."

Harleen pulls back her soaked knotting hair, "I believe that she'll try. That's the best that you can hope for. No one can force her to, not you, not me or Bruce. This has to happen naturally and by her own choosin'," she removes her glasses and rubs her eyes. Her dress was soaked and clinging to her body, "Let's go, B-Man is probably throwin' a fit tryin' to look for ya," she and Maria then begin to move, taking the path that leads out of the park.

Lighting reigns down from above and thunder soars through the sky as the two women head to the exit. From behind the trees, Deathstroke stands, aiming his rifle at his moving target, her head being the home for the recital. Deathstroke focuses in with his eye, pressing his finger against the trigger of the gun, "Nighty-night, princess..."

From the shadows, a Batarang is hurled that cuts into the riffle, messing with his aim as he fires. Maria and Harleen both jolt, looking behind them to Deathstroke. Within milliseconds, Slade sees that it was flashing. With little care, he throws the gun away and turns his back as it explodes. The assassin reaches behind his back to grab his blade. Behind him, Batman charges and tackles him over onto the field, "**Get out of here now!**" he orders the two women. They run off in the storm.

Slade kicks the vigilante off of him and jumps to his feet with the other man standing up too. Deathstroke eye locks onto Batman, "I was wondering if I was ever going to bump into you..," his raspy voice carries its way to Bruce.

"**You come to my city and try to kill. I'm taking you down, Slade**," Batman snarls.

"The Terminator, that's what they call me. As far as I remember, I've always been a man on a mission, between being a good little solider to being an assassin, I always eliminate my target, without mercy or hesitation. And today will not be any different," Deathstroke slides out one of the blades from his back holsters as he and Batman circle around each other, "I heard the stories about you, not many people can walk away from the shadows, still breathing, let's see if you are as good as people say..." he lifts his blade, holding it straight and pointed at the vigilante.

Lightning strikes down, rain storms down on the two men. Batman's eyes narrow and he grits his teeth, readying his fists, "**Sofia hired you to kill Maria...why? Hiring you makes it seem that this is more personal to her than just an unpaid debt...**"

"Very perceptive. Maybe you should try asking her for yourself... enough with this meaningless chatter, let's have our fists do the talking...," Deathstroke lunges forward and swings his blade at Batman, he dodges out of the way. Deathstroke then throws a punch with his other hand which Batman catches and throws back at him. Lighting strikes down again, this time mere metres away from them. Deathstroke takes another swing with his sword that Batman counters.

The Dark Knight catches the tip of the blade with his armoured gauntlet and pulls Deathstroke forward, elbowing him with his right arm. Slade kicks up with his knee, Batman slides out of the way and grabs the man's shoulders. The vigilante then uses his full strength to ram Deathstroke's chest down onto his raised knee with force. Slade flips over sideways, grabbing his sword along the way and shoving it back into its holster while he was airborne.

"I see... I'd recognize those moves anywhere. So you really did train under Shiva," Deathstroke paces around the Dark Knight, "But it seems that she did not teach you the most important lesson," he reached to his sides and grabs his dual pistols.

"**And what's that, Slade**," Batman growls.

"Never show your opponent all of your tricks right off the bat," Deathstroke opens fire with both pistols, launching a barrage of bullets that was quickly coming Batman's way. The crime fighter rolls in a cycle, rolling out of the range of the bullets, with Slade turning his body to track the vigilante as he keeps up the bombardment of bullets, "You think you got those hits on me because you bested me? No, you naïve fool... overconfidence often leads to errors in judgement..."

The pistols cease firing. Deathstroke unlocks the clips and discards them to the ground, grabbing replacements around his belts. He loads the pistols and aims them back at Batman, "Your style is lacking. You leave little alternatives for yourself other than close-quarters combat," Batman stops his movement and grabs a dual exploding Batarangs and hurls them at Slade who shoots them in mid-air, leaving them to explode before they could even reach him, however, they will still close enough to the vigilante to send him flying back.

Batman is thrown into the muddy field on his sides, trying to pick himself back up. Before he could, Deathstroke was already next to him and kicks him over onto his front "When it comes to a match between youth and experience, the latter always triumphs...another lesson that you were evidently not taught," he returns is dual pistols to his sides, reaching behind his back and drawing his sword, "A fatal error." Batman stands, rising slowly as his glowing white eyes glare at Slade.

"**This isn't over. Far from it. I will not let you take any lives in my** **city**!," Batman grabs his grapple launcher and fires it at Deathstroke. The assassin spins around, swinging his blade to cut through the gadget's cable within one single motion. Deathstroke slants his neck.

"Those toys won't work on me. If you wanna fight, then do so with your own skill!" Deathstroke yells as he and Batman charge at each other. Slade takes a swing of his sword, Batman rolls under the attack. The Dark Knight swings his legs around to strike Slade's legs, the merc twists his hips and grabs the vigilante's leg and throws him off balance and forces Batman to retreat back. Deathstroke follows after and tackles the vigilante, throwing both him and his target into the field of mud.

Another flash of lightning strikes down.

"_What's going on, Bruce? Your suit's readings are spiking!"_ Lucius' voice comes over the coms in the vigilante's cowl, "_Bruce? Do you read me?"_

Batman rolls over and crawls, slowly finding the strength to stand. But by now, Deathstroke was already back up, "**Still alive. Maria is heading your way, be ready!**" he is then kicked back down by Slade. Batman gasps as Deathstroke kicks him again, this time in the chest, - _Oh my god, Bruce... get out of there! Get out of there now!"_

"**Can't. Need to buy time...Need to... Nee-" **Batman gargles with a bloodied mouth.

"Your spirit is commendable, but you are still just a man. You are no legend to me," Deathstroke grabs his blade and holds over the Dark Knight's shoulder, "Consider yourself grateful that you are not my target. To kill you now will only cause me to receive one less contract. It's nothing personal kid, just doing my job," he rams his sword through the Batsuit and into Bruce's back, "But a reminder to not mess with me will be with you for the rest of your days...what small number there are..."

Deathstroke pulls out his sword and swings it back to throw the blood off it, "Don't feel too bad about today," Batman collapses on his front. Slade kicks him over to look to him as he holsters his sword, "You're not the first wise man who thought that they were some hero. I fought plenty of your type in my day. I single-handedly eliminated the JSA, you stood no chance." He turns his back on the vigilante and walks away with little concern. Batman weakly crawls through the mud as the rain continues to pour down with lightning still striking down.

_"Your vitals are off the charts, Bruce. Hang in there, I'll get you help. I'll think of something, just don't go dying on me...I'm on my way, I'm coming to you, just wait."_

_"_**_NO! I'm ordering you to get Maria s-secured. I'm fine...I can take c-care of myself! The only thing that matters is keeping her alive, that's an order, Lucius!" _**Batman dribbles a pool of blood from his heaving mouth, "**I'm going to be fine! Now focus on Maria!**"

"_At what cost, Bruce?"_

"**Any...**" Batman trembles, putting weight on his feet to try and stand. He punches the ground and growls, "**I can't stop him. I can't even match Deathstroke,**" he heaves holding his chest with his other hand.


	41. Catwoman

-** Catwoman -**

* * *

**Wayne Tower **

**\- Research & Development -**

"So Slade Wilson is connected to the League of Shadows?"

"Yeah..."

"He is more skilled than most members of the League, including you?"

"...Yes"

"Then, you knew that you couldn't beat him in a fight...but tried it anyway?"

"Uh-huh."

"I swear, Mr Wayne..." Lucius groans, rubbing his eyelids and scoffing. Bruce sits to the side, holding an icepack over his ribs, "You aren't exactly known for making sound decisions, but this is in a league of its own. You are as stubborn as a mule, and then some...," he glares over to the billionaire, "I mean...what am I supposed to do with this?," he eyes the man's blood-soaked bandaged that was wrapped around his shoulder and the path of bruises all over his torso, "I have a hard enough time dealing with Luke's nosebleeds... We can't even count on Lee now that she's stiff on her shift..."

Bruce winces as he stands, clenching the icepack layered over his ribs, "Probably for the better. I might've got my ass handed to me by Slade, but Lee will be the one to kill me if she finds out about this," he stumbles his way to the desk that had a folded shirt on it, "I'll be fine. Slade wouldn't damage me too much. He thinks he can score a lucrative contract on my life in the future...and he wouldn't want our next fight to be boring. He's sick like that...," Bruce throws his arms through the sleeves of the shirt, "For now, I'm going to check on Maria. She is probably scared..."

Lucius awkwardly coughs and pulls at his collar, "Right...about that... I was gonna wait until you were...settled more, but...we have a slight problem, Bruce..."

Bruce turns to face Lucius, "Lucius...what's going on?"

"Umm... Maria and Harleen never returned. Eh...and I can't get a fix on their location...," Lucius slowly backs away, "They could be anywhere in Gotham."

"What?" Bruce squints, "Find. Her. Now."

"Woah. Easier said than done, I had eyes on them until Waller's guys cut the feed. They figured that was how Slade was tracking them. And with the Bunker's servers offline, we can't use any our own cameras." Lucius explains as he walks to Bruce's side, "We are going in as blind as... well Y'know.."

"Alright...," Bruce breathes, "Let's think here." He holds his chin up, "Harleen knows that the guy coming after Maria means business, so she would have taken her somewhere secure. Someone that not many people would know about, somewhere where innocent people won't be put in danger if Deathstroke shows up...," off to the side, Lucius jolts as he hears his phone ring. He picks it out and answers it. His eyes widen as he hears the voice on the other end.

"So um, Bruce...? Somewhere secure, hidden and void of innocents... I'm guessing that Elliot Memorial doesn't fall into any of them, right...?," Lucius grimaces at the look of anger that was crawling over Bruce's face, "It's Lee, Bruce...and she saying that Harleen and another woman are causing quite a ruckus there..."

Bruce gestures towards Lucius. The older man hands over the phone, "Lee?"

_"That you, Bruce? Harley is screaming that there's someone trying to kill this woman that's with her. I'm guessing that has to do with your business, right?" _Lee's unamused voice carries through the speakers of the phone.

"Okay, you need to calm her down. The less attention that's drawn to them, the better. If you can, take them somewhere secure, without anyone else seeing."

_"What? Bruce... if there's someone trying to kill this woman, then she needs to leave. I can't risk the guy going through all my patients to get to her...I'm calling the cops"_

"No. You can't risk it. Sofia has most of GCPD under her thumb. The moment Maria steps out that door, could be her last. Lee... I need you to be with me on this. Just put them somewhere safe..."

_"You are asking me to risk dozens of lives just for one? These people are sick or hurt. They can't take care of themselves if the guy comes, I'm sorry. But I have a duty to my patients."_

_"_Please, Lee... I swear that no one will get hurt, you have my word. Just trust me, okay?" Bruce soothes to Lee.

_"Fine...If anyone dies...the blood will be on your hands, Bruce. And you'll answer for it, we clear?"_

"It won't come to that."

"_You talking about the deaths or you taking responsibility? I'll look out for Harley and Maria for now, but what's your plan?"_

"Then I'll meet you there. We'll talk then."

_"I'm trusting you, Bruce. Please don't make me regret it, I'm begging you..._" Lee hangs up.

Bruce hands the phone back to Lucius, "Deathstroke won't just fire on an open crowd so freely. If we play this right, we can take him out before he is driven to that."

"Tell me that you have a better plan than just *fight him head-on again*, cuz that worked so well the last time," Lucius asks Bruce, "Just let me know that you have a plan this time."

"Call Selina."

"Selina? Why?" Lucius ponders.

"Slade knows all of my tricks... we had the same training. We share the same moves, even the same resolve. Even Talia won't stand a chance, but Selina? She's undisciplined, untamed and plays dirty. She is the key to stopping Slade...," Bruce explains.

"Eh? Even if that was remotely plausible, you heard her. Selina isn't interested in helping her mother, Bruce" Lucius agitates.

"I believe in her, Lucius. I know that she'll do the right thing."

* * *

** Across Gotham**

**\- Elliot Memorial Hospital -**

"I'm trusting you, Bruce. Please don't make me regret it, I'm begging you..." with reluctance Lee ends the call, sighing as she looks behind her to the two women. Harley and Maria sit in the chairs in the ward. Wearing a harsh expression, Leslie focuses on the two, "Looks like the pair of you are staying here. C'mon, let's get you taken care of."

"Oh thank you!" Harley chirps, jumping up and squeaking like a mouse, "I was startin' to get worried that you'd throw us back onto the streets with that whacko after us."

"*After me*" Maria corrects the other woman, "Honestly, if being here will put anyone else in danger, then I'd be happier leaving. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me...," she asserts as she cups her face in her gloved hands.

"That's the shock talkin'," Harleen replies, "I had to bring ya here. Ya were in shock, and didn't want ya go havin' a heart attack or anythin' like that."

Lee bites her lip, "Harls, please leave the doctoring to well...a doctor next time. She was just shaken, no signs that her physical health is in danger. It would have been more beneficial to her if you took her to the authorities. They would have had a better handle on this whole situation."

"I know. I'm sorry, Lee...I just panicked and... the guy already took a shot at Maria at Wayne Tower, I didn't think she would be safe there," the ice blond holds her arms behind her back and lowers her head, tapping her heel against the floor, "I screwed up, didn't I? I'm gonna lead the shooter here like an idiot...," Harley facepalms, "I'm so stupid!" she cries.

"Hey, hey..." Lee comforts the blonde, throwing her hand onto her shoulder, "I know someone that is going to make sure that no dies tonight. C'mon, let's get you somewhere more secure, okay?" she slides her hand off of Harley and walks away from them, "Follow me."

"'Kay!" The blonde smiles.

"No, not you Harley. Just Maria. You aren't the target Harls...you should have nothing to worry about."

"W-What?" Harley pouts, "Ya can't go leavin' Maria alone like that! The last thing that she needs is to be all by herself in this situation," she adds, tracing her thumb across her lips, "She can't be left alone like that. She needs someone to watch over her, doc."

"Listen...," Lee holds her hands out, "I understand where you're coming from, but I'm already taking a risk with her. Not to mention, Bruce would kill me if I put you in that kind of harm."

Maria nods, folding her layered arms around her chest, "That's fine. I'm all for not getting others caught up in my mess."

"No!" Harley squawked in contention. Lee and Maria give the ice blonde a weird look, "I'm not leavin' ya side, Ms Kyle. I was the numbskull that made this situation worse...and It's not right of me to just leave ya like this! I won't live with myself if I do!" she cries with reddened cheeks.

"...Ms Kyle?" Lee looks to Maria, "Oh...that explains why Bruce is so fixated on you," she turns away from the other two, "Okay, okay! You can come with...just stop the tears! We are going to have to place wet floor signs down if you keep it up." Like the act of flipping a simple switch, the blonde stopped the waterworks with succession.

"Sweet!" Harleen chirps with a smile.

The doctor leads the way, heading towards the stairwell. She scans her key card against the electronic lock and opens the door, "Right... j-just follow me." After minutes of climbing the stairwell, Lee stops at the desired door. She unlocks it and leads the way in with Maria and Harley following, "You should be safe here. This is the floor for the most at-risk patients, think of it as one step away from a hospice. Security is the strongest on this level. You need a Key card to even go to the bathroom."

"Oh...really? That sucks..." Harleen pouts, "I've been drinkin' a whole bunch! An' I ain't great with holding it in."

"You're going to have to. I can't give you mine," Lee stops when she comes across an unoccupied room in the ward. She scans her card to unlock the door and guides them in. Maria looks around the room and sees that the windows to the room are fenced off. The lights in the room were dim, nowhere near being as bright as the rest of the building, "Due to the nature of the patients that we work within this ward, only a few members of staff are here at a time and the ones that there are all stationed in the rooms of their patients. You won't have to worry about prying eyes.

Maria holds her hands together, walking further into the room, "I cannot thank you enough"

Lee gives a small smile, "Sorry, but this is the best that I can do. I won't be much help from here on," she goes to leave, "I have a job to get back to. Look after her, Harleen," she is rewarded with a salute from the ice blonde.

"Aye aye captain" the blue-eyed woman smiles as she sees Lee leave.

* * *

**\- Meanwhile, Across Gotham -**

\- **Barbara Kean's Apartment -**

Selina sits on the couch, watching the TV with Jack Ryder on, "_A surprising number of anonymous sources are yet again claiming that Lex Luthor could be making a move for the oval office. Many are unconvinced of these rumours due to Mr Luthor's past alleged criminal dealings with the underworld of Metropolis. Although Mr Luthor has been arrested by the MPD on several occasions, they have yet to have a charge stick. Many citizens of Metropolis draw ire with the idea of him running for office, many others welcome the idea and say that Lex Luthor is the Man of Tomorrow that they can trust."_

"Yeah right... that bastard neatly had that tin can of his kill me..." Selina sits up and stretches and reaches for the remote.

"_In more local news: Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham might have not been the welcoming that he thought he would get. Many Gothamites finds Wayne's absence from the city in these trying times as a sign of immaturity and irresponsibility with even fellow media personality: Vicky Vale publicly calling out Wayne for his ineptness towards the public. She has even gone on record stating: Bruce Wayne is the product of all the money in the world and none of the morals."_

"Eh...he's an acquired taste...," she thinks to herself as she switches channels. Her skin is then whiplashed with draughts that come from the kitchen. The sudden spike in cold air immediately froze the room, "Barb! You in the kitchen?" she calls out and waits for a response.

Moments later, the woman answers, "No, I'm still drying off in my room!" Barbara Kean yells back.

The dark-haired woman gets up and follows the trail of the breeze. She comes into the kitchen and sees that the window was opened wide. She slants her neck and carefully treads towards the counter. She shudders she feels someone move behind her, "**We need to talk.**"

"And you need to wear a bell...," Selina turns to face Batman, "What are you doing here, Bruce? Barbara is here! She could walk in and see you in any minute!" she speaks in a semi-low volume, "Seriously, why the hell are you here and don't you dare say-"

"**It's Maria**."

"Of course it is..." Selina grew visibly annoyed, "What the hell is it now?"

"**Long story short. Sofia's assassin took a shot at her in Wayne Tower, then again in Gotham Park. I tracked him down before he could make the shot and he...let's just say that he *outclassed* me**," Batman explains, "**Then Harley who was with Maria had the bright idea to take her to Elliot Memorial. It's only a matter of time before Slade strikes again. I need you with me on this one**," Batman adds as he pauses when he sees a puzzled look on the woman's face.

"I did not catch even half of that, Bruce. Can you turn that dumb modulator off then speak normally," Selina vents her anger towards the man.

"**Dumb?" **Batman taps the bottom of his cowl, "It's not dumb."

"C'mon, Bruce... if a guy who can shoot lasers from his eyes and breath a literal winter storm calls something of yours dumb... you know that you are doing something wrong," she simpers, "What were you saying before?"

"Okay. The assassin took another shot at Maria. Harley took her to Elliot Memorial, I had Lee get them somewhere secure, it won't be enough to keep Deathstroke out, but it should stall him for now," Bruce looks back to the window, "I need your help."

"Help? Since when do you ask for help? You didn't even ask for my help when you thought that Alfred died... why are you starting now?" Selina's emerald eyes watch the man, "What makes this any different for you?" she watches Bruce's eyes land back in her direction, "Why is this any different than any other time?"

Batman lowers his gaze, "Because this is your family. I have no right to be this reckless, not when it's you who's going to suffer if I fail to stop him. Please, Selina, I need you and your mother needs you," he whispers back to the dark-haired woman who throws a glare back his way.

Selina gives a small venomous growl through her throat, removing herself from the man and turning her back to him, "Goddamn it, Bruce... Why aren't you listening to me? I can't help her...not after all that she's done! What's so hard to understand about that?" She feels Batman's hand touch her shoulder, "Why won't you understand? I don't want anything to do with her, not now...not ever. Please can you just get that through your thick skull, please?"

"Selina...," Batman lifts his head, "You don't have to forgive her. You don't have to love her. You don't even need to trust her...you just need to save her. You need to show her the person that I know that you can be," he comforts her, "Show her the person that you have become. Show her who you are...prove to her that you don't need her. Save her...so that you can save yourself."

Selina gives a subtle nod, slowly turning to confront Bruce, "I...I don't think that I can..." she quivers, her eyes leaking, "I c-can't..."

"You can. I know that you can...I believe in you...," the man soothes, taking hold of Selina's hands with his own, "I'll be with you. Every step of the way...," he lifts her chin and wipes the river of tears from her cheek, "Get your gear. I need you suited up."

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital **

Lee wanders around the lobby, gluing her eyes to the clipboard in hand as she checks on the list of patients. Being as late as it was, she was sure that they would get some more foolish kids would be committed as per every night, "Excuse me, young lady, I appear to be lost" a gruff voice gets her attention. She keeps her eyes on the sheets and stops.

"Hi there, are you here to visit someone?" Lee asks as she glances down to the clipboard. Her current line of vision only allowed to see the pair of worn boots that the man was wearing. She flicks through the sheets until she reached the bottom, "What's your name?"

"Wilson. Slade Wilson," the doctor glances up to the grey-haired man, first taking notice of the eyepatch over his right eye. The man wears a grey shirt under a brown leather jacket, dark jeans and combat boots with a duffle bag holstered over his shoulder. Slade also wears a dog tag which drawled her attention.

"You military?" Lee smiles.

"Ex. I haven't stepped foot on a battlefield for quite some time," Slade replies with his gruff but weirdly friendly tone.

"My husband was in the army. What rank were you? If you don't mind me asking."

"I was a captain...for a short while." Wilson answers.

"Hub, really? Y'know...my husband was never ranked that high. He would be so jealous... Well Mr Wilson, you visiting anyone special?"

The man leans his head back and smirks, "Right on the money, young lady. I'm here for...someone who's on their death bed."

"Aw...I'm sorry to hear that? What's their name? It might be someone that I know" she asks with earnest, checking back down to the sheets.

"Maria Kyle" Slade deliberately spoke the name slowly, his lips puckering at the last of the name.

Lee becomes silent. She becomes motionless. She becomes fearful. With what little bravery she had, she retorted "Well...I'm sorry to say, but visiting hours are over. The ICU's visiting's hours are nearly over...," Slade smirks as she gently pulls out his jacket to the side which gave Lee a glance at his holstered handgun. Lee's eyes slowly move to lock eyes with the man, "There's...no one committed here under that name. Check the records if you don't believe me..."

Slade lifts his index finger to her, "Think about this situation very carefully, girly. That friend of yours may have promised that no one here would get hurt, but that's a promise that he may not be able to keep. I know Maria's here. I know where she is because your friend does," he marvels at dread on Lee's face, "I have eighty-seven rounds, and I can use as many as I want...as long as I keep one for Maria. I could use eighty-six here and now...or none at all...that all depends on you, Lee..."

"H-how do you know my name...?" she fears, shivering.

"I am versed is more than just the martial arts...for example...deception..." Slade whispers, "The bullets that I use...are special. They're a special type...that makes escape from me impossible...even if I miss..."

**\- Seven Hours Ago -**

"GET DOWN!" Bruce tackles Maria to the ground as the windows to the office are shattered by a bullet. The round explodes and scatters all across the room, one microscopic shard cutting into the back of the man's neck. In the piece, a small red light flashes. Gordon, Harvey and Lucius all drop to the ground and find cover as another shard cuts into Maria's hand, another into Lucius' legs, and finally into Gordon's shoulder. The piece that would have cut into Harvey, was stopped by his skin and it bounces off.

**\- Now -**

"The trackers allowed to listen in on all their conversations, that's why I know where Maria is..." Slade answers, "As a bonus, I got to learn who The Batman is..."

"Please...don't do this...there are children here. Please have a heart, I'm begging you to not do this...," Lee entreats, showing the feeling of her vulnerability in her eyes and her now timid demeanour, "Just walk away. Please, please, please..."

"I do not want to hurt anyone besides my target...but I will if you force my hand...you got to the count of 5," Slade tell her.

"Please, don't-"

"One" the grey-haired man begins.

"Sir, please don't-"

"Two."

"Fine! Fine! Just please...don't do this...I'll take you to her, just don't hurt anyone down here, please...?" Lee quivers.

"I am glad that we could come to an understand..."

* * *

**Gotham City Skyline **

Catwoman and Batman race across the rooftops, the feline heroine latches her whip on to the next building over and swings over to it. She jumps out of the grip of the whip, grabbing it with her other hand in one quick motion. She rolls onto the rooftop, jumping out of the roll and leaps across the rest of the roof's length. Looking through her red-tinted goggles, she sees the Hospital close by. While descending she throws out her whip and wraps it around the antenna on the next building over. She jumps onto the roof, pulling her whip loose and wrapping it around her arm. Meanwhile, Batman grapples onto the same antenna, launching off of it and gliding high over Catwoman.

"C'mon, Bat! Spice it up a little!" Catwoman front flips off the ledge and dives into a downward descent. Batman throws himself towards the next skyscraper and fires his grapple launcher. Catwoman unties the whip on her arm and lashes her whip and catches the cable from the grapple launcher. With her current speed, she throws herself up towards the Dark Knight. She wraps her whip around the cable, traversing with Batman while facing him. She winks, "Beautiful night..."

"**You're in a better mood, Cat"** Batman comments as he retracts the cable. Catwoman cartwheels off before it fully vanished. Batman fires it at a higher vantage point with Catwoman latching on to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders with a smirk. The pair were propelled forward and over the roof. Selina jumps off of the man and flips onto the building, keeping up her movement. She upturns and vaults over the roof while Batman glides over to the next building.

"Can't be helped, with everything going on recently...I forgot how liberating this can feel!" Catwoman dive rolls onto the roof opposite Elliot Memorial. She lunges forward and kneels down on the ledge with Batman quickly dropping down and landing on his knees beside her. The two look to the hospital, checking all the windows, "Do you know where she is?" she hangs her right arm over her curved knee. Batman nods, looking to the second-to-top floor.

"**Lee took them to the isolation ward. It's one step away from the hospice, so you can imagine how tight the security is that they have to keep the patients there from coming into contact with anything that could harm** **them**," Batman answers.

"So this...Slade guy? Would he really go this far to get his target?" Catwoman leans forward, "If he is, then he best hope that he doesn't put Barbra-Lee in danger."

"**Slade wouldn't start with that choice. He's probably got another way in. Keep an eye out of any possible entrance points**"

Selina looks to Bruce, "You sound like you know him personally...?"

"**I know of him**," Batman keeps his eyes looking to the building, "**In the history of the League of Shadows, there have been five individuals who have transcended the League and have become legends. The five most dangerous warriors that the world has ever seen. The first is Ra's al Ghul himself, the second is Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke...**"

"And the other three?" Selina asks.

"**People who you don't want to know... let's just leave it at that...**" he stands and looks out into the distance, "**I'll go to the other end and take up position there. Alert me if you see anything**" he grapples away which left Catwoman by herself.

* * *

**\- Meanwhile -**

**Inside Elliot Memorial Hospital -**

Slade forces Lee towards the secured doors, pointing the barrel of his gun against her back, "Unlock it," was the only words that he spoke. He shoves the barrel into her back which moved her forward. His eyes look to the door and through the glass panels, knowing that his target was just beyond the sealed door. Lee took her time with grabbing her key card. In a laborious motion that could even lose to a snail. Her hands tremble more and more as she closed the distance between her hand and the card.

"These are the most at-risk patients. You can't go in there and start opening fire...," she tries to reason.

"That is where you're wrong, missy. The only one most at risk at this moment...is Maria and you. I suggest that you open that door," he jabs the gun against her back again and curls his finger around its trigger, "As you can recall, I can afford to use a bullet on you...I'll have eighty six spares."

"W-Why are you d-doing this? H-how can you possibly put a price on someone's life...?" Lee shakes as she grabs the key card in her pocket, being so nervous that it falls out of her grip, "...You were a soldier, right? You fought for freedom! You went to war so that others can live in peace..."

The man slowly forms a smirk, lifting his eyebrows and slanting his head, "Back then, I was fighting for a world that I was deceived into believing. Those same *freedom fighters* had no issues bombing the villages with children who had NOTHING to do with our fight. Those same *freedom fighters* who treated their men as expendable! Those same people had no problem using their soldiers as lab rats! No, girly... I don't put a price of life...because there is none!," he slivers the gun up the woman's back until he points at her neck, "I put a price on the hunt!"

"O-okay..." Lee holds her hands up.

"No one is special in this world. Not. A. Single. Goddamn. One," he reaches over and slides his hand into Lee's pockets to grab the key card, "Life eventually teaches us all this. "But they like to pretend to be... the elite, the people in power, even the superheroes. They all think that they rule the goddamn world. I learned that the hard way...," he takes out the key card of Lee's coat pocket, "The people who ruined me...were untouchable. Protected by the system that they created to keep them in power...the only way to get my vengeance was with my own hands..."

"J-just end this. Leave... you clearly aren't well," Lee advises, slowly turning towards the man, "You don't.. you don't have to be a monster..." The woman is thrown to the ground as Slade hits her with the handgun, right under her eyes. Lee lies passed out on the ground as Slade stands over her.

"I'm not a monster. I'm a terminator," he swipes the card against the electronic lock and opens the doors. He shuts the doors behind him and sets his duffle bag down. He unzips it and reaches into it. He pulls out his orange and black helmet. He taps his earpiece, "**_No signs of Deathstroke. I'm going to do another sweep_**_" _he listens in on the vigilante. He suits up. Dressed in his armoured suit. He takes his handgun and holds it above his waist as he walks through the hallway.

He stands against the wall, peaking over into one of the rooms and to their windows. He sees the Dark Knight move across the window. He waits for the vigilante to repeat the actions, and again. Deathstroke's eye squints, "forty-five seconds" he timed. He then starts to walk towards the room that he needed.

**From Outside the Ward**

Thomas Elliot looks away from his clipboard and sees Lee unconscious on the floor, "Jesus Christ..." he runs over to her and kneels. He caresses her neck with his index and middle finger. He finds a pulse and looks through the glass frame of the door and sees the back of Deathstroke. His eyes emotionlessly slant to the fire alarm on the wall. He stands up and hits his fist against the glass. An alarm begins to blare through the halls and unlocks the doors. Deathstroke looks back towards the exit and sees Lee still passed out, but Elliot was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**Outside**

Batman looks to the room where Maria and Harley are, "**Cat. We got movement!" **he grapples towards the building. Catwoman follows after him, leaping off the roof and throwing her whip towards the top of the Hospital and swings towards it. Her eyes land upon the caged windows.

"We have a problem, Bat! We can't enter through the window!" she hangs from the ledge, looking down to the window.

"**Break the glass!" **Batman grabs four Batarangs from his utility belt.

"B-but?" Catwoman shoves herself off of the ledge and falls. She grabs onto the bars of the cage with her left hand to stop her descent. She then pulls her right arm back and extends the claws of her glove. With her slim arms, she punches through the bars and straight through the glass. She drops down and lashes her whip to the roof and swing herself out of the way. Batman hurls his Batarangs sideways through the bars of the broken window, he then points his grapple launcher and that same window and fires.

**Several Seconds Earlier **

Deathstroke sprints through the hall until he reaches the room. Inside, Harley and Maria with fear as the loud alarm blares, "W-what's goin' on here?" the ice blonde panics while Maria was calmer. She was still unnerved by the phenomena. She faces the door to the room and spots the assassin as he fires. Deathstroke shoots four bullets into the room, shattering the glass and spiralling towards Maria. Then, four Batarangs are launched through the window and intercept Slade's bullets.

Less than a second later, Batman thrusts himself through the window with enough force to break the bars. As he dives into the room, he grabs a piece of the bars and throws it at the assassin and rolls onto the ground. Deathstroke takes his sword and cuts the piece of pipe in half. Harley and Maria look at Batman in surprise, "Batman?" the older woman perplexes. The ice blonde grabs Maria and pulls her to the side and away from the vigilante.

Deathstroke then glares at the vigilante, "You should have heeded my warning," he yells. Batman jumps through the window and towards Deathstroke. The Dark Knight leads with a single punch towards his enemy. Slade dodges and counters with his own move, taking a swing with his sword. Batman slides backwards and out of its range. Deathstroke kicks forward, Batman spins and moves to the side and hits the assassin with his elbow.

"**And you should've listened to mine!" **Batman leaps up and throws a fist towards Deathstroke who caught it. He then throws the vigilante against the wall and attacks with his own strike. With both legs, Batman kicks Slade off of him, he then jumps up and kicks at Slade, landing a blow in the man's chest. Deathstroke rolls away, grabbing his dual handguns and opens fire on his new target. Batman sprints at Slade and keeps low to avoid the bullets.

Batman runs into the wall, kicking off it and delivering another punch on Deathstroke and knocking the guns out of his hand.

"ENOUGH!" Slade screams, "I have had enough of you, rich boy!"

Batman broadens his eyes. With speed, he dodges under an attack from the assassin's sword, "Don't be too surprised, child. You don't exactly make it hard to figure out!" he swipes against with his blade, and again, and again. Each time, Batman dodges or blocks the attack. Batman jumps away and leads the attacker away.

Catwoman leaps through the window and lands next to Maria and Harley, "Get out of here!" she orders them, using a deeper tone of voice to hide from her mother, "We'll take care of him! Now move!" she looks to Harley, "Be careful!" she leaps forward.

"Ya got it, Selina!" Harley cheers.

"Selina?" Maria gasps.

"Seriously, Harley? Like...seriously...?" Catwoman rolls her eyes.

Harleen covers her mouth and looks away and embarrassed, "Oops! Sorry, it just slipped out..." she apologized, "I mean... Got it, *Not-Selina*!," she gives a quick wink.

Maria then faces Catwoman, "Selina...? You came for me..." she holds her hand over her chest, "Thank you." Selina remains silent, instead opting to jump out into the hall. Maria then moves to face the ice blonde, "Wait a minute...if that's Selina, then...that means that Batman is... could it be...Bruce...?"

Harley erupts with energy, jumping on the spot and holding her hands over her cheeks, "BRUCE WAYNE IS BATMAN!?

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, HARLEY! Before I shut your mouth for you!" Selina shouts back at the blonde. Harleen zips her lips closed and makes the motion of throwing away a key. Catwoman then follows after Batman and Deathstroke. Maria slowly sits down and looks to the ceiling.

"Uh, Mrs Kyle? There's a guy whose trying to kill you...remember?" Harley whispers to her.

"Uh-huh...I just...need a minute to process this..." Maria could barely form a coherent sentence.

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital **

**\- Roof -**

Batman leads Deathstroke out onto the roof of the hospital. The pair stop when they reach the helipad. Slade creaks his neck over to see Catwoman jump out of the stairwell. The grey-haired man found himself in the middle of Batman and Catwoman.

Lighting storms and rain downpours, the sky lights up with each and every strike, Gotham shakes with each subsequent pulse from the heavens. Thunder echoes through the city and its skyscrapers, bringing about a harsh and brutal deafening pitch with each blast. Batman stands before Deathstroke on the helipad that acted like their new arena with Catwoman perched above on the railings. The red and yellow neon lights circling around the platform almost acts as their barrier.

Deathstroke reaches behind his back and grabs his bō staff, the weapon extends in his grip, "What's the matter, Alwatwat? Too scared to fight me alone? Did you bring your girlfriend for back up?" he mocks with his gruff tone, making his remark one of humour and anger.

"No," Catwoman glares, "I'm the one who brought my boyfriend! I need someone to see me kick your ass!" She pounces at Slade, who counters and throws her onto the platform that he stood on. The assassin makes a play to follow with a stomp from his boot. Selina rolls out of the way and jumps to her feet. Batman rushes in, throwing himself towards Deathstroke. Wilson predicts the Dark Knight's movement and jumps out of his range. Batman misses and rolls over to close the distance between him and Slade.

"Pitiful" Deathstroke sighs, "Has the League really become this weak?" he kicks Batman away from him and avoids a strike from Catwoman's claws, throwing his hands around the woman's hands. Slade then swings her around him and throws her out of the confines of the arena. Selina recovers mid-air, grabbing onto the railings to stop her momentum. With a hiss escaping her lips, she pounces back towards the assassin. She built up enough force to throw herself at Deathstroke. She kicks her heel into his face with all of her gathered momentum to knock the assassin back.

She jumps down from Deathstroke and backflips to a safe distance. She plants on her knees, her right arm held to the side and her left hand pressed against the ground, "You're up, hot stuff!" she yells. Deathstroke looks up and sees something from afar quickly shooting towards him. Batman glides with his arms held out and his cape expanded. The Dark Knight forms his right hand into a fist and punches Slade's helmet. The man is forced back and his helmet flies off his head.

"**Give up, Slade! I'm taking you down!" **Batman snarls as he strikes again with his fist. Deathstroke ducks under the attack and swipes with his bō staff at the vigilante's feet. Batman is thrown off balance and was open to another attack from the older man. In less than a second, he was hit multiple times with the staff and was thrown to the side. The Dark Knight catches himself. He slams his hand against the ground and bounces off and throw himself back onto his feet.

"I only kept you alive because of the potentially lucrative contract you could be worth one day... but now, you're being more trouble than your worth, boy!" Slade squeezes on his bō staff, knives eject from each tip. He twirls the staff within the grip of his hands. He charges at Batman, "My patience wears thin, boy!" he swings with his bō staff. Batman slides out of the way and grabs the staff. He rips it away from Slade's grip and snaps it over his knee.

From behind Deathstroke, Catwoman leaps over him. With her nimble frame, she lands on the older man's shoulders, "Don't forget about little old me," she slams her heel against the back of Slade's head and forces him down on his knees. She cartwheels away, "Don't make me do all the work!." Deathstroke staggers up but is greeted by the boot of the Dark Knight. The vigilante follows up by grabbing Deathstroke by his arm and throwing him over his shoulder.

"**Your move!"** Batman yells.

"How about a boost?" Catwoman vaults over Batman's shoulders in a flip. The Dark Knight catches her feet in his palms and throws her up into the air. She is thrust over three metres in the air, flipping as she ascends and then continuing as she descends. In the quick session, she wrests her left arm back and brandishes her claws, "Open wide shithead!" she growls as she slashes with her claws. Deathstroke within seconds jumps to his feet and grabs Selina's incoming hand.

"All style, no substance, you know no discipline, girl!" Slade throws Selina off to the side, this time aiming her into a direction where she can't stop her path. She is forced off the room and is left to cling to the ledge, watching the two continue their fight as she pulls herself up. Deathstroke sights then fall up Batman, reaching behind his back and taking his blade out, "You are outmatched! What possible benefit do you think that you can gain from this pointless endeavour?"

"**Taking a murderer off the streets is good enough for me, Slade! You are going to answer for all the innocent lives that you have taken!**" Batman yells. Lightning strikes behind him. His white glowing eyes squint.

"Innocent?" Slade gives a small laugh as he slants his head, "If you're going to make it anywhere in this world, you must accept that no one in this world is innocent! Not the civilians, not the government, not even the supposed *Superheroes*! This world is packed with people who only care about themselves!" Deathstroke points his blade at Batman, "Tell me something, what makes you any different than them? Hmm? What makes you the Hero in the story?"

"**That's where you're wrong, Slade...," **Batman reaches behind his back, "**I'm not the hero, never was. I'm something else, something darker! I'm The Batman**!" Batman hurls a Batarang at Deathstroke. The assassin swings his sword to cut through the objects in two. Batman bolts towards Slade, dodging under swings of the man's blade. The vigilante repeatedly punches the man's chest in a flurry of strikes. After a few moments, Slade begins to shield himself against the strikes by using his blade to block his attacks.

Lightning strikes.

Deathstroke kicks Batman back and swipes with his blade. The vigilante blocks by using his gauntlets as shields against the blade's counters attacks. The assassin attacks with such force and ferocity that sparks emanate with each clash, "You thrive on fear, what makes you any different from the people that you've sworn to fight against? Every. Single. One. Of. You. Are. Hypocrites!"

Lightning strikes.

Batman throws the brunt of his weight forward to throw Slade off balance. He then thwacks Deathstroke in his jaw, throwing the assassin further back, "**The only ones who should fear me are the scum of Gotham!**," he stands idle as he watches Slade wipe away the blood staining his bottom lip.

"So much...so much anger, I see... your physical training is acceptable, but your mental training...? You're just angry at the world, boy. You don't care about the innocent...this is all just some foolish self-righteous crusade..." Deathstroke notes, swinging with his blade. Batman snarls, grabbing onto the man's forearm with one hand, and the blade with his other. He pulls the sword out of the assassin's grip. He spins the blade in his hold and slams the hilt against Slade's forehead.

Batman then punches Slade's throat which caused the man to gag. Catwoman leaps towards Batman, kneeling on the Dark Knight's shoulders as she supports her weight, "You mind?" she smirks. Batman simply shakes his head. Catwoman pumps her fist as she launches herself off of the Batman and propels herself at Slade, landing a kick on his cheek to knock him down. Although, the assassin was still in the fight. Catwoman cartwheels back to Batman.

"Let's finish this, Bat!" Selina looks to Bruce.

Batman pulls out his Grapple Launcher. Catwoman nods, kneeling down on the helipad. She jumps backwards onto Batman, then climbs onto his shoulders. Her eyes narrow as she leaps into the air. The vigilante fires his Grapple Launcher at Catwoman and catches her. Then with all his might, he pulls Selina in and spins Selina around until she was gyrating. Once she built up enough momentum, she uses her claws to cut the cable and bullets at Deathstroke.

Slade could barely stand, kneeling as he breathes heavily and holding his neck.

Before he could react, Catwoman's heel had driven itself into his face. She then breaks her fall by jumping off of Slade. The man gasps as he holds his broken nose with blood soaking his armoured hand, "Agh!" he throws himself up to his feet, shaking and unable to keep his balance. Catwoman twirls in the air and lands on his shoulders, trapping his head between her boots. She arches herself back and plants her palms on the ground. With her lower body strength, she slams him down onto the ground as hits his face against the ground.

"That enough substance for you?" Catwoman says with a hiss. Batman moves beside the woman as he glares at the downed Deathstroke.


	42. Memoria

**\- Memoria -**

* * *

**Elliot Memorial Hospital **

**\- Roof -**

"Ugh..." Slade stirs awake, finding himself tied up, his arms restrained behind his back. With his vision clearing, he sees Batman standing at his front. The man opens his mouth, stretching his jaw, "Beginner's luck, boy," he states gruffly, still contorting his jaw. Batman, the dark knight holds his arms firmly over his chest and glares down at the man. Slade slants his neck and sees Catwoman stationed over the railings of the platform, "Is she your new harlot? Rumour had it that you and Ra's daughter were an item"

"**The hit on Maria Kyle is called off, Slade. You lose**"

The grey-haired man scoff, shrugging, "Hmm. I heard that you were stubborn, Alwatwat. As long as the money is put forward, I will keep coming. Nothing personal, just business," he replies.

Batman plunges forward and grabs Slade and lifts him up, "**I SAID THE HIT'S OFF, SLADE! I'm taking you in...**"

Catwoman leaps off the railings and lands besides Batman, "Maybe I can more persuasive...," she flexes her claws. Her ire is drawn by the suspended man who chuckles at her words. Catwoman glares at Slade, "What's so funny?"

"Oh..." he smirks, "I've been to war, girly. Do you think that simple tricks like torture will work on me?," Slade creaks his neck, "Let me ask you this, Alwatwat. Before, you asked me why the Falcone would hire me to kill this broad's mother. You said that you believed the matter to be more personal than an unpaid debt. You were right. Isn't that correct, girly?," Batman turns to Catwoman as the captive keeps talking, "That's right. Catgirl, you know the truth? The truth about your blood..."

"**Cat?**" the vigilante asks Selina who had no remarks. No responses, no nothing.

"And that is another lesson that Shiva failed to teach you," Deathstroke holds out his arms to showcase that he was untied. Before Batman could react, he was kicked to the ground. Catwoman swipes at the man who catches her hands, "Never wound the likes of which you cannot vanquish," he spins Catwoman around and pins her arm behind her back. Slade sees Batman standing up and smirks. From his sides, he unshaved his combat knife and holds it against the woman's throat, "I on the other hand..."

"**SLADE! LET HER GO!**" Batman screams as he grabs a Batarang at aims it at the man.

"We could've avoided this, boy. But you just had to be a hero, didn't you?," Slade growls, "Tonight, a Kyle will die, but which one? That's for you to decide," he presses the knife against Selina's throat, "Even a centimetre. If she even moves as little as that, her neck will be sliced open. That goes for me too. If I move my position at all...or if you move me...she will die," the knife carves a thin crimson-line across her neck, "What will you do?"

"...Bruce...?" Selina whimpers at the harsh metallic cold that brushes against her flesh.

Batman lowers the Batarang and glares at the man with rage, "**Stop this! She has nothing to do with this! I said LET HER GO!**" Slade shakes his head.

"Let her go!" a new voice yells at Slade. Batman, Catwoman and Deathstroke turn and see Maria Kyle stood at the exit on the roof. She then makes a slow move to walk towards the other three people, "Release my daughter, now!"

"Mom?" Selina gasps.

"**What are you doing, Maria? Get out of here!" **Batman orders.

"No" Maria keeps heading towards Slade, "I'm finally doing what I should have done from the beginning...I'm protecting my daughter," she says with a look of determination, "You want me, Slade? Here I am. Kill me, just let my daughter go..."

"...Mom? What are you...? Getaway..." the raven-haired woman bleakly trembles, yelling at her mother.

"Shhh, it's going to be alright, Selina... He won't hurt you... he won't...," Maria answers her daughters' pleads with her own fearful tone. Slade looks to Maria with a grin, watching her come closer and closer towards him. With care, he reaches behind his back and grabs his handgun. Maria breathes heavily, her heart pounding and her body shaking, "Just get it over with. And then...please...let my daughter live... she has nothing to do with what I did..."

"Isn't that special?" Slade chuckles, "I spent all this time hunting you...when this all will end with you coming to me...," he comments as he aims the gun at Maria's head, "Have you finally realized how fruitless all of this is? There is no escape from me..."

"**Maria... don't do this! There has to be another way than giving up! Don't do this, please!**" Batman shakes as he looks to the woman, "**Please... I need to save you...**"

"Take care of Selina... don't let her go," Maria then glances back to her daughter, "That goes for you too. You two look after each other... I love you, Selina... I love you... Goddamn it, I love you Selina...," Maria shuts her eyes, "I... I love you... oh god...that feels so good to say... I love you..." she quivers as she waits for the inevitable.

"How noble, but the terms have changed...the bat dies too!" the man twirls his index finger around the trigger and sharply aims it at Batman. Within a split second, the knife that was around Catwoman's throat was now on the ground and pinned down by a shuriken. Before the assassin could even begin to understand the situation, Selina twists the man's arm and dislodges the target off of the vigilante. Slade fires but misses. With a hiss, Selina turns and shoves her claws into Slade's left eye.

In the frenzy, Slade pulls the trigger again, this time hitting Maria and propelling her to the ground, "I'm going to kill you!" Catwoman slashes the man's face, over and over again in a rage, her only seeing red. She knocks him to the ground, straddling him as she continues to pummel his face, blind with anger. Blood spatters over her hands and face as she keeps attacking and attacking, spilling the man's blood and forming a pool around them of crimson.

"**Maria!," **Batman runs to the woman's side and looks her over. He sees a red stain forming on her shoulder. He holds his hands against the wound, "**Oh...thank god... you're going to be fine...,**" he moves his right arm under the woman's neck and lower back, lifting her up into his arm. He stands, carrying her, "**You're gonna hurt like hell for a while, but... but you'll make** it...," he looks down and sees the startled woman that was becoming pale from blood loss, "**Hold on..., you'll make it**."

"B-Bruce... Selina, she's gonna..." she weakly moves her head towards Catwoman still clawing at the man beneath her as she screams with each strike that she delivered, "You... c-can't let her-"

"**Selina!," **Batman tries to get the woman's attention, but she remained feral, screaming as she kept lashing at Slade. Batman sets Maria down and runs towards Catwoman, "**THAT'S ENOUGH!**," he grabs Catwoman's arms and holds them back, "**Selina!**," he drags her off of Deathstroke.

"NO! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH HIM! I'M NOT FINISHED! HE HASN'T SUFFERED ENOUGH! LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I SAID LET ME GO! I'M NOT DONE... I'm not done...," she fights against Batman's hold, becoming more broken the more she tries to break free of his hold, kicking and screaming. He brings her in and wraps his arms around her as she leans her head over his shoulder. She cries, embracing the man as she tightly clings to him. Slade Wilson lays bloodied and bruised, his face covered in large slashes, he barely moves, barely breathes. By his side was the shuriken that pinned the knife.

From across to the next building, a Vandal Salvage watches the sight from the shadows, he hold another shuriken in their hand and plays with it, "You had it, Slade, but you just had to be greedy. The Bat's mine," he then turns and leaves, vanishing with a white blur.

"Oh my god, Maria!" Harley runs out onto the roof and scuttles toward the woman, "Were you shot? Oh my god...," she panics.

Maria awkwardly laughs, "Dial it back a little, will you? I'm fine," she holds onto her shoulder, "Stop making such a fuss," she looks over towards Batman and Catwoman, "This has been one hell of a day..."

* * *

**Later...**

"I'm fine!," Lee protests as Thomas Elliot presses an ice pack under her eye, "I said that I'm fine," she repeats as she gently forces the man's hand away. Elliot moves the icepack away and starts to juggle it between his hands while he and looks over the woman's face, more accurately the bruise that was forming beneath her right eye. Lee hides her eyes beneath her palm, "I'm a doctor too, remember? I can deal with this myself."

"You're speaking quite confident for someone who was knocked out less than ten minutes ago," Elliot smiles as he hands the icepack over, "I just can't let you leave by yourself like this. You're husband said that he would be here shortly," Lee frowns, taking the icepack from Tommy.

"I said that I'm fine, Tommy," Lee presses it under her eye and audibly grunts, "Go on...say it."

"Say what?" Elliot questions.

"How stupid it was for me to lead a crazed lunatic through your building, even worse that he only came here because of the people that was I protecting," Lee tells him. She throws a quick glance towards the door to the room where Jim was waiting, "I would understand if you don't want me to be here anymore... after I put all the people here in danger..."

Tommy holds his hands in his coat's pocket and sniggers, "You serious? It takes a lot of guts to do with you did. You were caught between a rock and a hard place, you did what you thought was right, and that's the best that any of us can do," he comes closer, "Those women needed your help and you did, even putting your own life at risk, Miss Tompkins. You did what you did to protect everyone here," he replies. He looks to the door and sees Gordon enter, "Mr Gordon, it's good to meet you again."

"Tommy," Jim shakes his hand, "I hate to tell you this, but you have...someone here who wants to speak to you...in private," Gordon leads Elliot's gaze to look at Waller who enters. The commissioner pats the man's shoulder, "Thank you for helping Lee. I apricate it."

"She's a tough girl. This was nothing to her," Tommy walks off the side.

Jim reaches around Lee's shoulder, "Let's go, honey. It's been a rough night for you." He helps his wife up and walks out of the room. Tommy was now alone with Amanda in the room, he reaches to the stand on the side and picks up his pager.

"Can I help you?" Elliot asks insincerely, he turns to look at the woman.

"Considering the scuffle of what happened here tonight, I want access to the footage from the security camera. This is not a request," Amanda orders as she walks towards the man who remained paused "Is that going to be a problem?"

"For me? No. For you? Maybe," the man answers, "Whoever that guy was, he did something to the camera feed. It's all gone," he explains, "Feel free to try, but all you'll find is just static screens. Now, if you don't mind...I have matters to attend to," Elliot leaves with a smirk on his face once Waller loses sight of him.

* * *

**Elsewhere **

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Barbara Kean's Apartment **

"Ow!" Maria strains, holding her shoulder as she sits up.

"Hey...cut that out," Selina sits down beside her mother. She wears her Catwoman outfit with the helmet off, "You just took a bullet to the shoulder. Saying that you should take it easy would be an understatement," she curves her hand around the older woman's own, "As Bruce said, it's going hurt like a bitch for a while. And it won't get any better if you keep with the sudden movements," she tells her, ruffling her eyebrows to forefront her words. Maria nods with a smile, looking past Selina's shoulder and at the rest of the room.

"You need to tell him, Selina..." Maria tells her daughter, throwing Selina soft front off, "If you're going to be with Bruce, then he deserves to know who your father is. You need to tell him that you're a Falcone," she mumbles, looking into the eyes of Selina, "Don't make the same mistake that I did. Don't wait until he finds out on his own."

"That's easier said than done," Selina inhales, "That's something that I'm still adjusting to. It feels like I'm a different person since I learned of it," she then lowers her gaze, "All my life... I knew who I was. I knew what I wanted, I knew what I could be. But... right now, looking back at the girl that I was...," she closes her eyes, "It feels like that girl has been gone for a long time. Out of nowhere, I now have a family...even a sister. But even with Bruce and the others in my life...I've never felt so alone..."

"Selina...," Maria cups her daughter's face, "There's something scaring you more than people learning of your heritage. Something that isn't about what people will think of you...," Maria looks down and sees Selina covering her stomach with her palm. Her mother's eyes soften, "...Does Bruce know...?"

"No" the raven-haired woman shakes, "Mom, I'm scared..."

Maria lifts her hand glides her thumb to brush her daughter's tears away, "I was scared too, Selina," she too begun to cry, "I know that you'll never forgive me for abandoning you, but I hope that you can look deep within yourself to not repeat my mistake," she continues, "I worked for the Falcones as a maid. Soon after Carmine's wife had passed, we began to grow closer until we...," she looks to her daughter's soaked eyes, "When Carmine learned that I was carrying his child, he cut me out of his life. He didn't want people to learn of him betraying his wife's memory, his reputation couldn't survive the revelation of an illegitimate child...especially to a lowly maid..."

"What happened?"

"He told me to leave Gotham and never return, to never speak of what happened between us..., and in return...would look after you" Maria answers, "...He wanted you to stay. You may not believe it, but despite his flaws, Carmine had some good in him. Enough to keep an eye on his estranged daughter..., he cared to make sure you would survive," she smiles, "Your father loved you, Selina...in his own distant way," she then reaches into her coat and takes out a sealed envelope, "He knew he would never be able to talk to you while he was alive...that's why he wrote this..."

Selina takes the letter from her mother, "W-What is this?"

"When he died, Carmine's will specifically instructed for this to be delivered to me... and for me...to give it to you once you were ready. he didn't want Sofia catching wind of this...," Maria adjusts and makes more room for Selina, "I've had this for so long...I never once thought of opening it myself. The hardest part was trying to figure out if you would even listen to a single word that I say."

"What's inside?" Selina asks with suspicion.

"I don't know. The only thing that I am aware of is that you need to open this on your own, that was his last wish..."

"You were right about that. You haven't made it easy for me... Just seeing you is hard," Selina confesses, "First thing's first. I will never forgive you for what you did. I will never let that go or forget it," she adds, crossing her legs, "But...maybe we can try again... try to start over... I don't know where we'd be, but...it would be a step up from before..."

"I'd like that, Selina. I'd like that," Maria agrees, "I'm never leaving again. I'm never leaving you..."

"...I wish that I could believe you...," she honestly answers, her voice shaking. "Tomorrow, maybe... maybe...we can meet up and talk...the café at Wayne Tower should be decent enough...," she rubs her eyes, "Maybe...you can give me the strength to tell Bruce about this...," she looks to her stomach, "Gods know I can't do it on my own."

"I'll be there, Selina...promise..." Maria smiles.

* * *

**\- Across Gotham -**

**Skyline Club**

Batman crashes through the windows and rolls into the office, kneeling with his fist planted on the floor. He ascends, looking at his surroundings and finding the room barren and lifeless. He walks towards the doors to the room, picking up a sheet of paper that was left. He looks over it.

_[This isn't over]_

The Dark Knight crumples the paper, "**For once we agree**," he throws the ball of paper and then slams his fist into the wall and unleashes a primal scream. He exhales and throws another punch at the wall, cracking it with that hit, "**I'll find you, Sofia!... Just you** **wait...**"

**\- Gotham Docks -**

"I'm leaving as we speak, I will be seeing you shortly," Sofia talks on the phone as she walks towards the car parked at there warehouse. Around the docks are Sofia's own men, heavily arm and scouting the area, "Yes, I'll pay you in cash, Warren. Just have the safe house ready...now the bat is going to be pissed ...," she signals the guards around the car. One of them opens the passenger door for her, "Gotham is crazier than even I thought. Right now, laying low is my best be-"

"Agh!" one of the men screams as a white blur rushes past him. He falls to the ground and holds his slit throat. The white streak blurs past, this time cutting through two of the guards' throats. Again, the blur circles around again. The result this time the last guard being decapitated with blood spattering and covering Sofia. The woman shrieks as she hides behind the car and holds her breath. The white blur warps in front of her, slowing down and becoming the Man in White.

"Vandal...?" Sofia trembles as her eyes look up to the man, "...Why...?"

Vandal pulls down the hood of his robe and looks the woman in the eyes, "You disappoint me, child. I give you free rein to do as you please, with only one request: to leave the Bat to me, yet here we are," he kneels down, "You ignored my instructions, to settle a petty quarrel. That stunt that you pulled tonight nearly resulted in his death, that is a transgression that cannot go unpunished," he stands, pulling his hood back up as he did so. He reaches behind his back and draws his blade.

"Wait! You can't kill me! I'm...I can still be of use to you! I still have connections!" Sofia pleads, holding her hands up.

"SILENCE! Do you have any idea of what you have done? Slade nearly killed the Bat and now Maria could be anywhere! You claimed that you could retrieve the letter, only for you to fail once again" Vandal lifts his sword up and returns it to the hilt on his back, "The only reason I recruited you was because of your connection to Selina Kyle, and you have tainted that one edge! You have become useless, child!" he snarls.

"Okay, okay...," Sofia climbs up and shakes, "I swear that-that I can still help you. Maria must've given my father's message to Selina by now, which would mean that she has it. Maria thinks that it was just a regular letter, she wouldn't have known what was inside it!"

"That's not a solution! It's just a new problem! Get that heirloom or I will kill you...if she goes to the Bat with it, it could derail ALL OF MY PLANNING!" Vandal screams.

"I-I-I... I will! I won't fail again," Sofia shivers, "I can find Maria! I can have my men kill her! You can trust me! We might even get lucky if she hasn't given Selina the message yet. We could still get to it before Selina even knows a-about it."

"No." The man in white replied, "Your idiotic antics have changed how things will play out," he looks to her as his eyes flash bright blue, "Maria's end was always meant to come, but now the universe will see to it that her fate will be restored. It will seek another to carry out its will," the man in white vanishes with a blur.

* * *

**The Day After**

Maria Kyle brushes her hair, pops the collar of her coat and wraps the scarf around her neck. She smiles as she looks into the mirror. She comes in close to examine her reflection, "This is it..." she then turns away as she hears a knock from the room. She turns the sink's taps off and looks towards the bathroom door. Taking one extra moment, she pulls at a few strands of loose hair and brushes it to the side, "Coming!" She leaves the bathroom and heads towards the entrance. Before opening the door, she looks through the peephole.

Now satisfied, she opens the door and greets Harley, "Oh, hi. I didn't know that you were coming over. Is...is everything okay?"

"No. It's nothin' like that, Maria..." the ice blonder enters the apartment and closes the door, "I just wanted to go through a few things with ya. Just to make sure today goes great for everyone. If it's alright with ya, I would like to talk.

"Uh...sure. But I don't want to go running late."

"Don't worry 'bout that. I'll call Bruce and let him know about this. It'll be fine, trust me..." Harley follows Maria into the kitchen, "This will only take a few secs, anyway..." she smirks when Maria turns her back. Maria walks towards the counter and grabs her handbag, "Okay, but try not to take too long. Bruce can only hold Selina off for so long... anyway, what did you wanna talk about?" she searches through her handbag, "Damn it. Did you happen to spot my purse in here? Damn thing seems to have a mind of its own..."

Harley slowly approaches from behind, "Can't say that I have. So here's the thing: Selina needs time to heal after that terrible pain that she's just gone through..." the ice blonde slants her head and widens her eyes with a haunting smirk. From behind, she reaches for one of knives in the rack.

"What terrible pain? What happened? Oh my god...is Selina okay? What's happened?" Maria turns. With a laugh, Harley had cut the woman's cheek with a knife. Maria screams as she falls to the ground and holds her heavily bleeding wound as she gasps.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. The pain of her mother abandoning her again...that's gonna be with her for a while..." Harley then slashes the knife across Maria's face again, this time catching her nose and lips. She spits blood and screams. The ice blonde straddles the older woman and holds her hand over Maria's mouth to muffle her screams. Harley's hands trace over the woman's bloody cheek. She pulls her hand back and rubs her bloody digits over her lips "Sorry, but Mistah J wanted this one done... nothing personal..."

With little care, Harley rams the knife into Maria's throat. The older woman's eyes widen and tremble. The blonde presses her hand down more on Maria's mouth, "Shhhhhh. Go to sleep. Hush little baby, don't say a word..." she sings as she grabs the handle of the knife and cuts across Maria's throat, "Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird. And if that mocking bird don't sing...," she keeps slicing through the woman's tissue, "Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns brass...Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass..." she sings as Maria's eyes lose all life and become still and she stops struggling.

"...And if that looking glass gets broke...," Harley rips the knife out of the woman's throat. She holds the knife up and licks a trail of blood from it, "Mama's gonna buy you a winter coat..," she grins at the bloodied corpse of the woman under her, "Love a messy one..."

**\- Wayne Tower -**

**Café, Ground Floor**

**2**** Hours Later...**

Bruce and Selina sit around the furthest back table, looking at the one empty seat on the opposite side of them. Selina rolls her eyes and stands, "It's been hours, Bruce. I told... I told she didn't care about me. She's not coming..."

"Hold on..." Bruce stands, "She could just be running late. Look, I'll give her a call and see what's going on..." he takes out his phone and dials, "Trust me, Selina. She wouldn't have gone through all this, only to give up at the last minute. She'll be here...I know that she will..."

_"The number that you are trying to reach is no longer in service"_

Bruce's eyes widen, "This can't be. She just gave me this number last night..."

"See..." Selina eyes water, "I told you...I told you... I hope that she rots in hell!" she storms off, "I need to be alone, Bruce..."

Bruce cuts his phone off and runs his hands through his hair, "This can't be it. It can't be..." he reaches inside his jacket and takes an earpiece and pushes it into his ear, "Lucius? Come in. Are you in R&D?"

"_Am I ever anywhere else, Mr Wayne?" _Lucius replies with a friendly jab.

"Find Maria Kyle. Use every camera in Gotham! Every. Single. One."

"_She isn't in danger again, is she?"_ Lucius asks concerned.

"I don't know. Just find her."

"_Alright, alright. Just give me a moment, Mr Wayne. Ah...got a match. Oh no, Bruce...she's on the move and heading towards Gotham terminal... I think that she is planning on leaving Gotham?" _

"When's the next train, Lucius?" Bruce hurries out of the café.

_"Less than ten minutes. You'll never make it, Bruce!"_ Bruce walks out of Wayne Tower and out onto the streets of Gotham. The coming of the night gave cover to Bruce, enough to walk around unnoticed by civilians who pass by him. He stops when he is greeted with an ally, an empty and dark path. His eyes narrow.

"But I know**"** who can..." he runs into the darkness. He throws his tie off to the side and rips open his shirt which showcased the chest of the Batsuit along with its emblem. He moves through the complete darkness, throwing his shirt off to the side. He pulls on his black gauntlets and then his cowl. His glowing eyes cut through the darkness of night.

Batman reaches behind his back and unties his cape that allowed it to freely move. He grabs his Grapple Launcher and fires it and the top of the building that he was running towards. The Dark Knight is catapulted upward and pass that building. He fires his grapple launcher at the next building over, one that was much taller than the previous. He shoots up and opens out his cape to glide, "**Don't lose her, Lucius!**"

* * *

Batman latches onto the ledge of Gotham Terminal and jumps over and perches on the opposite ledge. Batman looks down to the platform and sees that it was absent of people, besides his target. He spots Maria Kyle waiting on one of the benches in silence, "**Got her**," he jumps down, using his cape to slow his drop. He lands behind the bench and surprises Maria. The woman jumps to her feet and looks to the Dark Knight.

"W-What are you doing here?" She asks surprised at the sight of the man.

"**Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing**," he stands tall with his cape drooping around his shoulders and arms "**Why are you leaving Gotham? You finally have the chance to reconnect with your daughter. Isn't that what you wanted?**" Batman asks as his eyes narrow to be harsher.

Maria scratches the back of her scalp, "I'm sorry, I really am. But we can't kid ourselves...there is no fixing our relationship. There's no mending us... and I think that's for the better. Just...promise me that you'll look after her, please...?"

"**It doesn't matter how hard I try to be there for her, I can never replace you. Selina needs her mother. She needs you...whether you are willing to accept that or not...,**" Batman remains still, "**And you need her too**," he tells her.

"You've wasted your time with me," Maria confesses, "This was never about me and Selina... I just wanted to live. And I can now, thanks to you..." the sound of the incoming train fills the platform. With a small frown, Maria brushes a strand of hair from her eyes, "It may not be the result that you wanted. But...I am alive. That should be enough for you..."

"**For once...it isn't. You lied to me. You only cared about yourself...all this time...**" Batman grabs his grapple launcher and aims it away, "**Your daughter is here. This is your chance to face your regrets...**" Batman tries to reason.

Maria Kyle weakly nods, "I don't have any regrets. But I guess that I owe you this...," she looks to the train coming her way, "You deserve to know this. Selina... has been hiding something from you. Something that you deserve to know... she's a Falcone."

The vigilante's eyes widen as he almost stumbles, "That's not true. It's not possible..."

"It is" she answers, "Why'd you think that Sofia hired Deathstroke to kill me when there are hundreds of hitmen in Gotham... this was personal to her. Before I first left Gotham, I worked as a maid for Carmina Falcone. After his wife Louisa passed, he was in... a dark place. And that time, we... well... you get the idea. After learning of my pregnancy, Carmine wanted me gone. He didn't want people to know that he betrayed the memory of his wife..."

"No... this can't be... have you got proof?"

"Selina is the proof. Test her DNA against Carmine's if you don't believe me," Maria looks to Batman, "He paid me for my silence. Several million in cash to never speak of this and leave Gotham...for good. But, he wanted Selina to stay in the city. Somewhere deep within his colas heart, he did love her. He kept tabs on her to make sure she could survive on the streets for as long as she did...," she tucks her hands within the pockets of her coat, "Sofia found out after Carmine had passed. She didn't know the child's name...but she knew that her father had an illegitimate child...then she started searching from there..."

"She wanted you dead because she thinks you desecrated her mother's memory..." Batman watches the train come into the platform, "That sounds personal enough for her to hire Deathstroke..."

"I'm leaving... if you try and stop me... I will reveal your secret. Don't follow me" Maria threatens. Batman fires his grapple launcher and boosts away, just as the train stops at the station. Maria turns her back and grins. She walks into the railroad car and out of the sight of Batman. Slowly, she begins to change shape. The figure now takes the form of one of the conductors as they walk through the cabin. From above, Batman watches the train depart from the station, looking away he aims his grapple launcher.

* * *

\- **Across Gotham -**

Catwoman stands on the ledge the Sirens Club, holding the envelope by her side. She pulls up her goggles and lifts the letter. She stares at the wax seal that holds the Falcones coat of arms. Her eyes were redden and her cheeks burn. Her tears reflect the city and all of its beauty. With moments of hesitance, she finds courage and tear open envelope and unfolds the sheet of paper inside and reads it.

_[To my estranged daughter: Selina, if you are reading this, then I have long since passed. And you have learned of our relation. I write this letter to you not to clear my name or try to make you understand my methods. I direct this to you as an obligation to my child, my fair daughter to whom I write this. I trust that Maria has already told you what happened between us._

_Separating a mother from her child has always weighed greatly upon my conscience, only becoming heavier as I watched you grow. From when I write this, you are still a child who has experienced Gotham for what it is. As you are now a woman, my only hope is for you to understand why I felt the need to keep you a secret. Gotham is far from perfect, but it can always become worse._

_Order must retain in Gotham. It's underworld only know respect for those who they view as superior in power. For your existence to be exposed would upset this balance and for you to become a target. You could shake the foundation of this city's underworld, and that's a risk that I cannot afford. Without my influence in the city, the true monsters would take over and bring Gotham into a state of anarchy, one where reason and compassion will be a relic of the past._

_You must think of me as a monster, and I cannot fault you for that assumption. But when it comes to being Falcone, before power, before greed, before all that comes one's honour. And I hope that is what will come to define you. Although my blood runs through your veins, my only wish is for you is that you create your own path, one that is not marred by my mistakes._

_Unfortunately, others will not see it like that. My enemies may come for you, even my beloved Sofia could try to use you. I pray that you do not give in to their whims._

_My love for you will follow me my grave, my daughter. Since Maria decided that you were ready to read this, I have complete faith in your character. As such, I have seen to it to leave with you, the most treasured artefact of our family. I beg that you do not let this possession fall into the wrong hands, even those of my Sofia. _

_The future of this city is now in your hands my beloved Selina and I can now rest easy, knowing you'll guard it. _

_Sincerely_

_\- Your father.]_

Selina shakes the envelope and feels something rattling around inside. She tips it over and sees a small silver key fall out. She catches it and holds it in her palm, "A key? What the hell is this supposed to be used for...?"

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

**\- Research and Development -**

"You want me to what...?" Lucius questions Bruce as he looks at the two vials that were being held by him, "Run that one by me again, can you?"

"It's for a case that I'm working on. That's all. Just need to test the DNA to see if there's any connection between these people," Bruce answers as he hands the vials over to the other man. Lucius grabs them, "I'm sure that the connection won't be there. I'm just going with a hunch."

"Right...," Lucius replies with an unsure tone, "Who do these samples belong to anyway?"

Bruce tucks his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shrugs, "Doesn't matter. Just let me know if anything comes up, Lucius."

"Okay, Mr Wayne," Lucius confirms, "I'll get right on that. But I must ask, is now really the time to be playing around with this kind of thing? Surely there must be other cases that are more deserving of our attention"

"Lucius. Please just test them," Bruce tells him, "Let me know as soon as you get a result."

* * *

**Later **

**\- Across the City -**

**Bruce's Penthouse **

"Wait... you kept that thing of his?" Selina comments as she looks at the split weapon that was held by Bruce. Sitting down beside her, the dark-haired man smiles, hanging his arms over his knees. He sets down the staff on the table in front of them.

"It's called a bō staff. A decked out one to boot. I'm going to see if I can fix it. I'm sure that I can find some use for it in the future," Bruce leans back, "I don't want to go around the city, swinging around a sword. Probably not the best thing for my public image. This bō staff is the next best thing."

"Right..." Selina nuzzles into the man's shoulder with a gleeful smile, "Slade's going to come back, right?"

"It's only matter of time until he does" Bruce confirms.

"And...he's gonna be pissed?"

"Oh, absolutely livid" Bruce closes his eyes.

"Good" Selina rustles closer to Bruce as she too shuts her eyes, "I think that I need a break from all this. Maybe just a day out would do... maybe go somewhere exotic or something...?"

"Maybe I could use that too," Bruce half opens eyes to look at the woman's soft features, "...Selina?"

**"**Yeah...?" she yawns as she fully rests her head against the man's chest with a playful purr.

"I'm sorry about your mom. I guess...you were right about the whole thing..." Bruce wraps his arm around Selina.

"It's okay, Bruce... I was starting to fall for her lies again... I hope that I never see her ever again...," he looks to his side as he hears his phone ring. He flips it open and looks at the message. His eyes expand as he reads it.

_[Lucius: Finished. They match.]_

* * *

**_Unknown _**

"Slade Joseph Wilson, you are one difficult guy to find," Waller smirks as she looks at the grey-haired man through the glass, "Oh...I have plans for you. I really think that you can a great help towards the safety of this nation." Behind the glass, Slade sits with his back facing Waller. He holds his hand over his left eye, "The silent treatment, Mr Wilson?, " she murmurs, stepping towards the glass, "Fine, let's try it this way. All these years you avoided us, escaped us. You were always one step ahead but now look at you. What happened tonight wasn't your fault, it wasn't mine...but I think we both knew who to blame for your imprisonment..."

"...The Bat... if it wasn't for him, I would've been out of this city hours ago..."

"Good. Use that anger, Wilson...," Waller rests her hands on her hips, "If you work for me, you'll get the chance for revenge against the Bat... otherwise, you will never see the light of day ever again, so what will it be?" she marvels at the sight of Slade stirring, seeing him stand, "What will it be?"

"The Bat dies..."

Amanda turns and leaves the room.

Later, she stands beside a dark-haired man in a blue shirt and lab coat, "So tell me, how's progress going?"

"Greater than expected, Red Queen. We have managed to finish two prototypes," the dark-hair man raises his hand, "Come and see," he leads her into the next room, "As per requested, the exhibitor's have far been improved, now able to be implanted into metahumans," he and Waller stand at a one-way-mirror. Waller folds her arms as she looks through and smiles, she sees several doctors in a room, surrounding two operating tables.

On them was Cheetah and Silver Swan. The pair were unconscious and restrained to the harsh surface, "It appears that we are at the testing stage," Amanda comments.

"Yes, Ma'am. You were just in time. We are about to begin the tests to see if the process has been a success."

"I believe that there is a more efficient way to learn that," Wallers turns to the doctor, "Send them on the hunt, and I know the perfect target..."


	43. Exodus

**\- Exodus -**

* * *

**England**

**\- 1600 Years Ago -**

The once-grand forests that flourished throughout the land were now burning, smoke blinds the night sky with ash falling upon the world. Across the grounds were an army of fallen knights that were made soot by the ashfall. They were covered in slashes and bled out, their blood mixing into one large river of red that drowns into the soil beneath them. Not too far off were their once trusted steeds that share the same fate as their owners.

Coming out of the shadows, a horse gallops along with the Knight that sits on its saddle, wearing silver amour, with their helmet to cover their face, and a blue cape that becomes wild with each gallop from the steed. The knight looks upon the pile of the deceased. He stations the horse and jumps down. He reaches to his side and unsheathes his sword, walking to the fallen. The sounds of reinforcements approach, along with the marching sound of the horses.

The lonely knight looks towards the new group that is comprised of seven other knights with six of them following behind the one in front. The leader had his face bare to see, showing him to have long brown hair that styled in a ponytail. He looks to the Knight that was on foot, "Sir Blüd, have thee come too late?" Vandal asks.

The knight removes his helmet, "thou are correct. Our foes have long since left, this is the only thing that they left...," Jason looks to the bloody corpses, "This battle has barely begun, yet the death that has cometh forth. It has been unholy."

"Unholy, thou say? " Vandal questions as he firms, "Thee are best left to stop looking down to hell and instead up to the heavens for answers. This is no work of a devil but of a god."

"Vandal, I fail to see the meaning behind the words that thee speak" Jason responds.

"People will willingly kneel before a cruel god than stand beside a kind devil, squire," Vandal looks up. Past the clouds and even the sky itself was a planet of fire, march larger than Earth. His eyes narrow, "Come. We may have lost today, but tomorrow is a new dawn. The war shall be ours. This planet will not fall, we must seek acquaintance with Merlin." Blüd mounts back onto his horse and rides with Vandal and the other knights as they head towards the castle in the distance.

* * *

**[Present Day]**

**Gotham City **

**\- Outside Wayne Tower -**

The day was still very much young in the city, the sky is blue with clouds with the sun reaching out far over, giving the city a mild yellow tinge. The heat of the city became overbearing, along with the humidity made Gotham the victim of a heatwave. Birds chirp and flock over the Skyscrapers and the people were just as lively. They crowd around the tower, standing at its entrance and in front of a stage. Bruce stands positioned behind an acrylic lectern, Lucius stood behind him to the side. The crowd at the stage was no mass gathering, though a rough estimate would put their numbers into the hundreds. Selina, Lee and Harley were amongst the crowd. Jim Gordon, Harvey and several other G.C.P.D officers were also aspersed present, though they were outside the main gathering.

And lastly, several camera crews gawked around, like vultures. Every other second, Bruce either shut his eyes or looked away to avoid the flash of their cameras.

Bruce was suited up for the occasion, dressed in his best business suit, complemented by his father's watch and a dark blue tie around his collar with His hair being combed back, "As many of you know, years before I was born. My parents designed Project Skylight, a state of the art railroad system, meant to help low-income households with travel through and even out of the city. Unfortunately, the system was shut down after severe concerns for the safety of the citizens of Gotham was brought into the question. The influx of crime and murders around the area made it too dangerous to keep going."

"Psst" Selina hears the blonde standing next to her address her, "Psst, Selina?" the blonde repeats, this time being less discrete and draws eyes from the crowd. Harley was in her black and red sleeveless dress, with her stockings and heels. Her ice blond hair was loose and hangs down to her shoulders, the sides brushed behind her ears.

Selina was more conservative with her clothing, taking the surge in heat into account. She simply wears a black strapless top along with black leather pants, held up with a studded belt. She also wears black boots with studded bracelets on her right wrist, dark lips stick and eyeshadow. Selina slurps from the straw of her large plastic cup that houses the bubble gum slushy. She becomes more agitated with each time that the blonde try to her attention and there were many.

Her left eye twitches each time the blonde repeated the annoying gimmick, "What?" she whispers back with slight aggression, still looking ahead to the platform and Bruce.

"Can I have a sip of that slushy, please? I'm meltin' here," Harley whines, keeping her voice low yet keeping all of her overly hyper personality as she speaks.

"Not happening, blondie," she purposely moves the drink away from the other woman, "Buy your own. They're only like five bucks."

"B-but Bruce bought that for you," Harley sighs, rubbing the sweat from her brow, "I can literally feel my lips crusting."

"Hey, I offered to go halves with him on it, but what's $5 to a billionaire?," Selina cups her lips around the straw and sips, "Never thought I would be so grateful to have a brain freeze..."

Bruce sets his palms on top of the lectern, "After careful consideration and planning, Wayne Enterprise is proud to announce the reopening of Project Skylight. With our efforts, we hope to create a new form of affordable, accessible and most importantly safe travel, open to all Gothamites. This way, regardless of your class or needs, you will always have a way to travel when needed," he smiles. He slants his body forward, "Some details are still being worked out with city officials, but our goal is to get Project Skylight up and running by early next year..."

"Mr Wayne!" a voice calls out from the crowd.

Bruce pauses and looks to the direction of the voice and hears the same voice call his name once again. He hones in on the source and finds himself locked onto a familiar woman. Vicky Vale looks to him with an entourage of cameras backing her, "Vicky Vale. Mr Wayne... does this sudden interest in helping Gotham's low-income citizen really stem from a place of goodwill?"

"Miss Vale... please leave all questions until the end if you would kindly," Bruce requests.

"Or is this merely a false front to salvage your reputation to us Gothamites?" the reporter continues.

"I'm not quite sure of what to make of that?" Bruce honestly answers with an uneasy tone.

"It's simple, Mr Wayne. Given your past reluctance to aid the people of Gotham, it's reasonable to assume that this stunt is just an attempt for you to pander to the less fortunate Gothamites to make people drop all their criticism of you? To herald you as some sort of saviour? Or to just simple silence all of your critics," Vicky replies with a stern look that was aimed towards her target, "You have to admit that this is some interesting timing as the Gotham Gazette has recently made it their goal to inform the people of Gotham of your ineptitude towards the city's current political climate? Would you say that is a fair assertion?"

Bruce inhales, "You mean the same Gotham Gazette whose largest donors are Tony Zucco, Sofia Falcone and Roman Sionis? The same Gazette that fired that Knox guy for reporting on the internal corruption of its reporters...which you were among the ones being investigated?" he finishes, he then moves on to focus back on the crowd, however, the reporter wasn't calling it quits quite yet.

"You didn't refute or directly address my question. The alleged *corruption* of the gazette was debunked and was proven to have been a fabrication many times with even Alexander Knox admitting that there was no supporting evidence to back his claim," the reporter tells Bruce with disdain in her voice, "Do you want to give me a straight answer or do you want to wait and read tomorrow's issue of the Gazette to see my honest thoughts?"

"Oh, I won't...I'm subscribed to the Daily Planet," Bruce smiles back.

Selina and Harleen look at each other, "She's really gettin' heated up. She needs to cool off," chirped the blonde.

The dark-haired woman looks down to the slushy, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Meanwhile, Vicky is still rearing up at Bruce, "Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say that you lack the basic humility to lead such a project as the Skylight project. The fact that you have any influence in Gotham is greatly disturbing to me...," before she could continue. A cup hits her head from the side, splashing her face, hair and dress in a cold blue liquid mixed with ice. On contact, she squeals and retreats, "Who did that?! I'm calling the cops!" Selina and Harley fist bump and smirk, holding in their laughs.

"I don't care how hot it is, that was completely worth it," Selina covers her mouth to silence as she sneers.

Bruce clears his throat, "As I was saying, we envision the Skylight project to revolutionize public transport when it comes to both efficiency and safety. To achieve this, Wayne Enterprise has invested both its time and full financial support to ensure that it available for use as soon as possible. We look forward to sharing more with you about this project soon," then a hoarse string of squawks come from up high and the clouds, "Now if you would welcome Wayne's Industries R&D head: Lucius Fox. Any further questions regarding Skylight should be aimed at him as he can answer you far better than I could."

Then the squawks restart, lasting longer.

"What the hell is that?" Selina looks up the sky, holding her hands over her eyes and squints. She sees a blurred silhouette of a bird that was circling around the tower, "I'm not a bird watcher, but I doubt that's normal for a bird," she has her eyes follow the winged creature in its path, adjusting her hands to stay shielding her eyes from the sun. From her perspective, she sees the silhouette become larger, increasing in its size all until the shape of it started to resemble the body of a woman with long flowing hair.

Hearing the next squawk being even louder is when Selina realized that the figure wasn't growing size but was, in fact, coming closer, quickly torpedoing towards the crowd. From the stage, Bruce steps and aside and lets Lucius take a position at the lectern, "Thank you, Mr Wayne. I am at the head of the construction of the project, and will be more than happy to answer any and all questions that you might have."

From the crowd, several reporters begin to speak.

"Yes, you at the back," Lucius points.

"Frank Daulton from the Gotham Times: You said that the transport will be made with Gotham's low-income class in mind. What is your positioning on people with criminal records being allowed to use it? Will past convictions strip you of the right to use it even if you are in the same wealth class and need its service? What about ex-Arkham patients?"

"We are still ironing out the kinks, but we are in contact with the G.C.P.D and several other departments to decide on what approach we should take. As of now, having past misdemeanours will not disqualify you from the service, however, Felony charges will be taken into account and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis," Lucius answers, throwing his hand over his brow, "Regarding Ex-Arkham patients. If they have been confirmed to not be of risk, then they will not be impeded from using the transport."

At the side, Bruce's ears pick up the ear-destroying screech that was quickly falling upon them. He looks up and widens his gaze. A woman with long flowing marron hair, green eyes and black lips, wearing an armoured suit that has metallic wings, overly long sharp talons and spikes on its shoulders and up its torso. Silver Swan swoops down flies through the crowd in one quick-movement. She opens her mouth, almost dislodging it and screams.

An overbearing vibration of a sonic-like blast that's louder than a jet engine rears towards the stage and throws various people in the crowd to the ground. Within a split second, Bruce grabs Lucius and throws them off from the platform. The screech with the power of a hundred thunderstorms completely destroys the stage and only leaves rubble. While shielding Lucius under him, Bruce follows the path of Silver Swan and watches her glide up Wayne Tower and vanish upward through the blinding rays of the sun and the clouds.

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**\- Across Gotham, Gothcorp -**

Cheetah perches upon the roof of the building, her messy bronze hair hangs down her back. Her pupils narrow into slits as she sees her partner return. Silver Swan descends down to be level with Cheetah, though she used her wings to hover in the air. Cheetah stands and creaks her neck back with a smirk, "Good work, Venessa. I'm surprised that you didn't screw up such a simple task," she looks at the back of her fingerless gloved hand, seeing her claws shine with the sun's rays, "I'm almost impressed...almost."

The redhead looks away and spits, "Keep making a mockery of our situation if that's what pleases you. Your childish ways do not change the truth of the bombs in our necks. I have other plans than getting my head exploded," she drifts closer to Cheetah.

Minerva gives a condescending laugh, "My dear... there's no need to worry. That little stunt should be enough for him to come for us..," she sharpens her claws, "And if not... I can also try, then he will see the true power of a *Catwoman*."

Silver Swan flicks her hair and holds the right side of her face in her palm, tapping her claws against her cheek, "That is...if you're right about that man being that creature from before."

"My nose does not lie," Cheetah cracks her knuckles, "I can still smell him from here.

* * *

**\- Gotham Clocktower -**

"What are we doing here, Bruce?" Lee looks around the insides of the clocktower, same as Selina. Bruce and Lucius wander through the dark room, sheets covering all furniture and machinery. Lucius fixes his cufflinks and walks towards the front of the room, leading to the outside clock. Lee brushes her fingers against the railings and sees them be layered in dust. She rubs her thumb and index finger in disgust, "This place looks like no one has been up here in years, since this thing was rebuilt."

"Yeah, just being in here is making my lungs feel heavy..." Selina adds, "Why are we here anyway?"

"As you know, when the original Clocktower was destroyed by Jeremiah, the Wayne Foundation helped fund the reconstruction of it, of course, we may have quietly added a couple things that weren't exactly on the plans," Lucius removes the sheet from the main console.

Bruce heads up the stairs leading out to the clock, "I knew what I was getting myself into, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy. I know that there could be a high possibility that the Bunker could become inoperable, the cave would be too far away to use consistently..., I needed to have more alternatives," he turns to face the three as he holds the railings, "Computer - activate conversion, passcode: Dark Knight-01," Bruce says, the lights to the room turn on, though a cold blue.

The windows were concealed by metal plates that had glowing Bat symbols, the oversized monitor snaps on, gritting them with the same bat symbol on its screen "_Dark Knight instalment complete, awaiting further commands." _From the side of the room, a fake wall lowers into the ground, revealing a display chamber with a Batsuit.

Selina rolls her eyes, "Y'know, some people would think that you were paranoid..."

"Well, they'd be right," Bruce jumps down the stairs, hands on his hips, "First order of business, we are following on the amazons."

"Mr Wayne?" Lucius asks, "Why the sudden renewed interest in that?"

"Things seem to have settled down, for now, it's a good time as any to start looking into them. Plus, after that bird lady attacked me, I say it's fair to take it personally" Bruce makes his way to Lucius, "While I'm on that, I need you to check in on Project Watchtower, run a full diagnostic.

"Would love to, but I need to know what I am looking for," Lucius reaffirms, "Unless I search for specifics, the odds of finding what you are looking for could be slim to none."

"Hold on, just how do you plan on *following up* on those Amazons?," Lee inquires, "Didn't Blüd say that they have been in self-isolation for thousands of years? I doubt that they managed that because Them-o-scara was so easy to find..."

"Themyscira," Jason Blüd exits the elevator and joins them on the top floor, "When you first told me about this idiotic plan of yours, I thought that you were joking...but then I remembered, you don't have a sense of humour," he sets his messenger bag off to the side and looks to Bruce, "What you are planning is beyond foolish, beyond idiotic, beyond any conceivable lack of intelligence. Stepping on the island will open the possibility of war with the Amazons... and that's if you can even locate it!"

"War?" Selina joins Bruce as she keeps her eyes on Jason, "Why would they start a war over that...?"

Blüd yanks off his glasses and clenches his temple, "Men are forbidden to step on Themyscira. If one were to breach that rule, the Amazons could take it as an act of war. What you are doing, Bruce... could have consequences the likes of you cannot possibly comprehend!"

Bruce steps down to Blüd, "That's where you're wrong. The League has information on the Amazons, though vague... it's all that I need. They came to Gotham and killed five people. I can't let that slide," he heads towards the Bat-Computer, "We'll find it. We'll find Themyscira, we'll take as long as needed..."

"Good luck with that, mate," Blüd scoffs, " The island is hidden behind a magical barrier, invisible to man's eyes. Many have tried to find Themyscira throughout the ages, none have had any luck. It is impossible to find for the likes of us. I'm afraid that this ploy of yours will need to be short-lived..." Blüd unapologetically replies as puts his glasses back on, "Don't be too disappointed, Bruce. You would've just been killed if you got there anyway."

Lee takes a moment to think, "Hold on... food for thought, the Bat-Computer had trouble analysing their arrowheads because of the magic, right? Maybe..."

Blüd looks to Lee, "No. No, no, no. Don't give him any-"

Bruce turns to the Bat-Computer, "Maybe it will have the same interference with the island. We don't need to know the island is, just everywhere where it's not..."

Blüd throws his arms up in frustration, "Damnit! we are talking about inciting a bloody war! What part of that do you lot not get? Do you have any idea just how much blood will be shed!?"

Bruce walks to Jason, glaring at him "There's already been bloodshed. I'm going there and you cannot stop me, got that? If you are worried about them retaliating, then tell me how to be diplomatic. Be useful or get out, those are your options."

The auburn-haired man holds his hand over his mouth and slants his posture, "There's no stopping you. Fine! I'll help, but only because I don't want to start a bloody war," he points to Bruce, "You'll need an ambassador, one to speak for man's world, a woman who can prove her worth, a warrior."

"Fine. I'll go" Selena comes forward, "I might as well watch his back."

"Absolutely not," Blüd and Bruce say in unison.

"It's too dangerous," Bruce warns.

"Bruce is right...for a change. You do not possess the required talent or skill to survive their weakest warriors for if things get dicey there. You don't even have the training of the League of Shadows. Bruce will need a fighting chance. You will need that Al Ghul with you, Bruce," Blüd explains.

"Overly harsh," Selina pouts.

"But accurate," Jason grabs onto Bruce's arm, "I am imploring you to listen to me. For them to even begin to listen to you, you need to convince them that you are a warrior yourself. Your vigilantism won't fly there. If you are in a fight to the death, you need to kill them. You cannot let them see you as weak, as they will conflate your ways with the rest of man's world. If they figure you to be weak, then they may not be willing to hide from our world any longer…"

"...Well, we're doomed," Luscious pulls at his collar, "I'll g- get to- to work on Watchtower."

Selina looks to Lee, "Since I'm not needed here. I'm gonna head out. Barbara's probably still at the hospital..., see ya, Bruce..." she walks past with Lee following after her. Lee catches up to her and forces her to a stop.

"Selina?" Lee asks with concern, "I've been meaning to ask, has anything else developed about your-"

"I don't want to talk about there here," Selina leads Lee into the elevator.

* * *

**Elsewhere **

**Themyscira **

"Do you feel it? The sky, the sky is in pain...," An Amazon with long brunette hair asks, looking to the sky. She along with two other amazons ride long the shores beaches of the island on their horses. The hypnotic waves of the oceans and the distant sound of the wildlife went to great lengths to ease all concern. Ridding beside the brunette was a redheaded amazon, along with a woman with long raven hair, "I can feel it screaming, trying to warn us of what is to come" Phaedra worries.

The redhead woman scoffs, "Are you scared, Phaedra? Whatever disaster is near, the wrath shall be felt by man's world. The gods shall protect us, just as they always have."

Phaedra looks back to the Amazon, "I fear that you may be wrong, Artemis. My worry falls upon not the disaster, but the fallout of it. Mankind will not be prepared for when it happens," she tells Artemis who once again dismisses her concerns with a scoff and turns away, "I can feel it. I can feel the sky slowly burning. Is it not our duty to see to it that the world will not be destroyed?"

"Our duty is to our people. That's it," Artemis answers, "Have you forgotten what happened with Diana's last journey to man's world? We lost Orana and Antiope. We did not even have their bodies to lay to rest. I will not allow us to lose any more of our sisters to that wretched place," she looks ahead to the raven-haired amazon, "Even if I was to agree to such a foolish notion, just what would be your plan? To warn humanity of the threat? How are we supposed to do that without revealing ourselves to the world? We would be putting ourselves needlessly in danger?"

Phaedra looks away, "So we should just leave them to their deaths?"

"Correct. It is the Amazon way. We do not interfere with their world and they do not interfere with outs" the redhead amazon coldly replies, stopping when she sees the Amazon in front stop, "Diana?"

Diana creeks her neck and looks out to the ocean and as far as she could see, "The amazon way? I remember a time when those words would bring me comfort. But then...," she closes her eyes.

Artemis trots her horse towards Diana, "You're thinking of him again, aren't you? You're thinking of that man."

"How can I not?" Diana asks, "He is a part of the world that we shield ourselves from. He's a compassionate man, yet the Amazon way would have seen to his death if it wasn't for my mother listening to my pleas."

"Queen Hippolyta was wise to know that even the wrath of Zeus was nothing compared to the anger of her own blood," Artemis smirks, "She knew beheading the man would divide you and her. I could see how that could make for some awkward conversations."

"Perhaps Phaedra is valid in her concerns," Diana opens her eyes, "Man's world has changed. I saw it with my own eyes... maybe it is time for us to come out of hiding"

* * *

**Gotham City**

**\- Clocktower -**

"_We'll see each other again soon enough. But if you want answers, then go to the island of the gods. Your destiny awaits"_

Bruce looks over Lucius' shoulder, watching him stationed at the Batcomputer, "Thankfully I managed to get the Batcomputer's systems back online. This way we can access the Wayne Enterprise's satellite and use it scan for the island. Though, I'm not quite sure how to tell if we find it, Mr Wayne." Bruce is dressed in a white shirt with a black denim jacket and dark jeans. He walks over to the side and grabs at a sling pack. He then begins to load it with gear.

"We're not looking for where Themyscira is. Just as Lee said, we need to know where it's not," the billionaire continues to fil the bag, "I looked at the reports of the Arrowheads that they used. When scanning them, they glitched the whole system. We just need to locate another glitch like that"

"So...do you wanna talk about it?" Lucius asks, taking his eyes away from the screen.

"Talk about what?" Bruce replies disinterestedly as he throws the sling bag over his shoulder.

"About those two samples that you gave me to test. Are you ever going to tell me who they belonged to? You seem to be more on edge ever since I confirmed that they were related."

"No" Bruce looks down and checks his watch "Keep at it and alert me if anything comes up," he puts on a cap and heads towards the exit, "I mean it, Lucius. I want to know the very moment when you find it."

"Where are you going?" Lucius inquires.

"Blüd said that I need to have a woman with me that can both hold her own against them and to speak for Man's world. My options are limited, but I know someone who fits those requirements…my ex," Bruce enters the elevator and folds his arms, "I arranged a meeting for us. It's more secure to tell her about this in person than over the phone," Bruce press the button "So I'm meeting her for dinner."

Lucius chuckles and covers his mouth, "You are a Dearing man, Bruce. And a dead one too if Selina finds out."

"It's just a business dinner."

"*Business dinner*?, You haven't even taken Selina out to regular dinner yet..." Lucius asks sceptically.

Bruce shrugs with a half-smile, "I get it. My love life is screwed. Alfred's already beat you to it" the doors close on him.

"That man has to be really brave or really dumb...," Lucius turns back to the Batcomputer, "Or a glutton for punishment...maybe even all three."

* * *

**\- Later -**

**Gotham Royal Hotel **

**\- Dinning Hall -**

Bruce is seated at the very end of the hall, keeping his head low and rests his right arm on the table. He gives a quick look to his watch, looking back to the ground after. Moments later, he looks back up and sees Talia sauntering towards him, rocking her hips with each step. Her brunette hair was loose and moves each time she moves, she wears a black tube dress that comes down to her thighs with her legs and arms bare. She looks to Bruce, making eye contact with a smile.

Bruce waits for her to become seated before speaking up, "I thought that we talked about being subtle, Tal."

Talia whips her hair and forms a wide smirk, "You talked. I ignored. Now what do you want, Bruce?"

"*Bruce*?" the billionaire shivers at the venom laced in her voice, "You never call me by that..."

"And you never called me, ever...even after I thought that you were dead," Talia bites her lip, "Then you go and fight Deathstroke without even asking for my help. Instead, you rely on Selina whose combat experience isn't even comparable to mind. You and I could have sterilized the threat far sooner."

"That wasn't your fight, Tal. Selina needed to do it, it was her mother's life on the line."

"And in the process, you needlessly endangered your life several times just to prove a point. You almost got yourself killed over someone as unimportant as that girl's mother."

"*Unimportant*?" Bruce rolls his eyes and sits back, "Who are you to decide who's important?"

"And who are you to throw away your life so recklessly? If Slade killed you, thousands of people would have died. You put the lives of everyone who you will save at risk, all for some petty thief. Just to prove a point to Selina...which I hear was a waste of time," Talia lifts her eyebrows and scoots closer, "Nothing can stand between you and your destiny to defend this city. To jeopardize that so willingly shows me that you are not ready to accept your mission."

Bruce looks her in the eye, "I put my life on the line every day, what makes what I did for Maria Kyle any different?"

"That's a difference between going after purse-snatchers, lunatics and even those who have advanced human capabilities than going after members of the League of Shadows," the woman answers with a harsh gaze. She lays her hand over Bruce's, "You are not ready for that. They can kill you and they will if you start being more trouble than your worth. You got lucky with Slade, but the other members of the League can still come for you, and once news gets to them about your match with Deathstroke...I fear that maybe sooner than we think..."

"Talia...I...," Bruce interlocks his fingers with the woman and smiles, "I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere...but...I do need your help with something. I can't do it without you."

"So I've been told. Just what idiotic plan do you have this time?"

Bruce sits back and cracks his knuckles, "I am going to Themyscira, and I need you to come with me. Blüd said that I'll need to have an ambassador with me that is a warrior who can hold her own against the amazons otherwise I can look forward to being swish kabob as soon as I step foot on that island." Bruce hangs his arms back, "It will be a great time. Tropical islands are awesome at this time of year. We can catch the waves, get some soon and fight for our lives...just like the old days..."

"Pray tell, just what business do you have on that island?"

"I met this woman-"

"Of course you did..."

"I'm serious" Bruce leans closer to Talia, "Last week, an Amazon came to this city, along with a cheetah-lady and one dressed in amour that could fly. The main one was called Diana. She must have come to this city for a reason...and I need to find out what that is."

"One in an armour that could fly? Was that the one who attacked you earlier today? The one with that sonic scream?," Talia sees Bruce confirm her suspicions with a nod, "Aren't you worried that they may attack this city again once you leave?" she smiles, curving her leg.

"Venessa...the flying one. She could have killed a lot of people then, but only attacked me, everyone else was unimportant to her. I think that it was a warning shot. Otherwise, everyone who was in that crowd would be dead. I think that they were trying to get my attention, trying to tell me something. If that wasn't the case, they would've attacked again by now."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Talia asks as she blows strands of her hair out of her eye, "I trust that Blüd warned you of the risks. The consequences that this could have... A man stepping foot on Themyscira could bring about a crisis."

"Have you looked outside recently?" Bruce smiles, "What's one more crisis going to do?"

"Well I suppose... if I look past the likelihood of our deaths, a tropical island does seem...romantic," she tilts her neck and rests her hand over Bruce's, "I'm guessing that I won't be needing my bathing suit."

Bruce takes out his ringing phone, "Just the sunblock," he answers the call "Really? We're on our way..." he stands and looks down to Talia, "We're officially in business." They walk together as they leave, catching the eye of Vicky Vale who was seated near the entrance with several of her co-workers. She takes out her camera and takes pictures of the leaving duo. As Bruce and Talia walk out onto the street, their hands brush against each other as they smile, an image that Vicky managed to capture.

* * *

**Gotham City**

**\- Clocktower -**

"I used the company's satellite to scan the globe over, narrowing it down with time. Lee was on the money when she said that we could rely on the interference as those arrowheads to find it," Lucius informs Bruce and Talia as they look at the screen, "Every time the same spot glitched our network. The exact same spot, Blüd told us that the enchantment was made way before technology would have been considered and here we are," his eyes focus on the map of the Terme River with a portion being distorted, "We just found Themyscira."

"The island of the gods...," Bruce examines the map.

"Just what do you plan to find there?" Lucius inquires.

"...An old friend..." Bruce turns to Talia, "We're heading out now."

Talia pulls up the zipper of her catsuit to her bust and pulls at her fingerless gloves, "I'm the one waiting on you, dear. Suit up already," she eyes over to the Batsuit in the chamber, "What's the hold-up?" she sees Bruce walk towards the chamber and detaches the utility belt from the Batsuit. Bruce throws it around his shoulders and looks back to her.

"From what Blüd told me. The Amazons are a very superstitious group, I doubt a bat-creature running about the island will do us any favours," he walks back over to the woman, grabbing his sling pack on the way, "And Bruce Wayne could have more bargaining power than Batman. I might be able to coax a deal if things get heated"

"So what's the plan?" Talia asks as she folds her arms, "We going in swinging?"

"No," Bruce looks back to the Bat-Computer, "We're doing reconnaissance," he points at the screen, "We arrive here and part there. We can't go risking conflict so quickly. You'll go north to the island, and I'll go south. I'll wash up on the shore and pretend to be shipwrecked. That should get all their attention on me and should give you time to explore the island."

"And how do you plan on not getting *swish kabob'ed* while I'm on reconnaissance? I won't exactly be there to help you if they decide to skew you" Talia asks with curiosity, sliding her hands down onto her hips "Please tell me that you at least thought of that?"

"I'm Bruce Wayne" the man smirks.

"Yeah...I know...that is your name" she replies with a strained breath.

"No" Bruce points at himself, "I'm Bruce Wayne. Gotham's greatest son, and one of America's most prevalent figures. People would come searching for me, coming to my last known location...that is attention that the Amazons wouldn't want. Killing me wouldn't fare any better as they could cause an international incident, even a war. Another thing that they wouldn't want," Bruce explains as he walks closer to Talia, "No matter what they do, they will have their hands tied unless they let me live. It's perfect."

"*Perfect*" Talia holds her hands on Bruce's shoulders, "That is if they decide to listen to a single word that you say before they kill you. What if they want war with Man's world? You would be giving them the perfect bargaining chip to use. With their strength, they can snap you like a twig, beloved. There are so many variables, so many ways that you can get yourself killed."

Bruce holds his hand out and touches the woman's cheek, "You can trust me with this. You're the best person that I can have with me on this mission. I promise that we'll be fine. I'll have you by my side."

Talia grabs the man's hand and pushes it away from her face, "If any of them even touch a hair on your head...I'm going to kill them. And if they hurt you...I'm going to slaughter them all, understood?"

"Okay... maybe dial back the viciousness. C'mon, we need to leave..."

"Maybe you should crank up your self-preservation. You're starting to make me believe that you have a death wish," she slides her sword into her holster, "And once again, I was the one who was waiting on you. Now move it before I decide to kill you myself to spare myself the headache."

"Haha, very funny...," Bruce grabs the strap of his sling bag and marches towards the elevator, "We're travelling by my private jet. Hope that you aren't afraid of heights..."

Lucius sees the glare coming from Talia, "You weren't joking there, were you?"

"Still deciding on that" Talia follows after Bruce, jointing him in the elevator, avoiding eye contact, "And no. I am not afraid of heights."

"You need to lighten up, Tal" Bruce taps the button to the lower floors, the doors begin to close on them with Talia looking to him.

"My weight's fine. And you weren't complaining when I was sitting on your face," she spouts a triumphant smirk as she sees Bruce turn away with his cheeks becoming red.

"...That's not what I meant..." Bruce sighs, still avoiding looking at her.

"I know. It's just so much fun to see you squirm. Plus...that was a fond memory. You may not be the most elegant of speakers, but you boast an entirely different oral talent," she folds her arms and relishes in Bruce's new-found shyness, "Don't worry, Bruce. That is nothing to be ashamed of...quite the opposite actually..."

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Bruce rubs his eyelids.

"I know that I'm not" Talia leans against the back wall.

* * *

**Elsewhere **

A portal forms in the forest, with the birds flocking away and the animals running from the sight. From the flare of light, a pair of red eyes open, belonging to a woman with greyish-white skin that was over six-feet tall, with lavish raven hair that's groomed over to the left. She dons a black armour corset with a pauldron, skirt, along with a black cape that has a hood armoured black fingerless arm gloves. She also wears knee-high black boots, golden armbands with a scythe resting on her back. Grail smirks as her crimson eyes cuts through the darkness of the woods. She then vanishes with a crimson-red streak, leaving trails of red smoke behind.


	44. Who Are You?

**\- . -**

**\- Who Are You?- **

**\- . -**

* * *

"With everything that I have been through."

"With all the challenges that I have faced."

"Every loss."

"Every victory."

"Every time I got knocked down."

"And every time that I got back up."

"There has always been a tale that I think of."

"A story."

"A legend."

"Atlas."

"The man who was condemned to hold aloft the heavens, all on his shoulders. He literally carried the weight of the world."

"Truth be told, I've never understood why I found solace in that story."

"Maybe it's me just foolishly hoping that alike Atlas, I too could rely on my friends to share the burden."

"But unlike Hercules or Athena, I don't think that any of the people closest to me could handle such a task. Not without the risk of  
becoming a monster."

"And then there's a whole different issue."

"To trust them...is a burden all in itself."

"Not just on me."

"But on them too."

Themyscira. One of the most beautiful places that one could see. One that was not strained by the hands of the outside world. An ever-lasting utopian refuge to those of the ancients. A fortress, not just from those who would desire conflict but also of those who would seek out and abuse the ways of the islands. The sun burns brighter here, its expansive reach warms all, basking those who call it their home there. Along with the seamless never-ending ocean that surrounds the archipelagos and their isles.

At the far reaches of the furthest peak of the east island, Bruce lays on his front at the shoreline of the beach. His body drenched in seawater and sand, bleeding at his back from several large gashes. He lies unconscious, resting his head over his right arm that was sprawled out. The waves of the ocean repeatedly wash over him, throwing water over his back and head, stirring with each splash. One with a stronger force hits him, throwing him out of his slumber.

On waking, he instinctively gags and hurls out the saltwater that nearly consumed him. Hyperventilating, he crawls up the slope of sand until he was out of the reaches of the ocean. He throws himself over onto his back and gazes upward towards the sky, holding his arm over his eyes to shield his vision from the sun. Slowly his breathing calms and he senses return to him, giving one long-strained gasp, he pushes himself up and stands.

On doing so, his confusion reignites. His breathing then becomes erratic and forced, he twists and turns himself to witness the island and all that's around him. His eyes tremble and his chest tightens with each breath that he takes. Bruce explores the back of his head with his digits and feels them become encased in a wet substance that's thicker than the water that he was previously subjected too. Looking over his hand, he sees his fingers coated in semi-dried blood.

Hazed, his vision blurs, his ears ring with a hiss, seemingly never-ending. He takes a single step, falling back onto his knees and screaming when an arrow is shot through his shoulder. He screams, trying to pull at it. His vision further degrades, becoming red and flashing. He drops onto his sides and gasps, wheezing with staggered intakes of breath. Artemis approaches the man, aiming her bow and arrow at him. Her face housing a look of intrigue, yet also one of primal anger.

"Identify yourself, human!" the redhead grows, pulling back on her bow. Bruce gargles between whales of pain, attempting to focus his vision on his attacker. The Amazon trudges closer and presses her heel on the man's leg, "Identify yourself now!" her hair jolts with the ferocity of her tone.

"...I...don't know..." the dark-haired man pleads. He screams when Artemis presses her heel down further on his leg.

"You believe that this is a time for humour? Typical of your kind...," she aims her weapon at Bruce's eyes and pulls back on the arrow. Bruce shakes his head, looking up her frame and onto her facial features. His body shakes with each word that comes from his mouth.

"I'm not j-joking!" Bruce shrieks, "...I don't remember who I am..."

* * *

**\- Several Hours Earlier -**

Talia stands next to Bruce on the bridge, overlooking the river beneath them and showing signs of fatigue from the expose from the sun. Their movements were obtuse and deliberately void to keep eyes off of them, they examine the spread-out map that the man held against the railing. "I cannot describe in words just how witless this plan of yours is," Talia emphasizes her stoical front, watching from over Bruce's shoulder and towards a family that traversed the bridge behind them.

Bruce waits for the family to leave, giving them distance from them before speaking up, "It's far too late to talk me out of doing this, Tal. I've already put down the deposit for that boat...," he traces his fingers across the map, creating a mental note of the needed journey that would be the most beneficial, "How long can you hold your breath for?" asked Bruce as he finishes the pathing with his digits against the sheet. Talia replies with a roll of her eyes and a look of disdain.

"Why are you asking that of me now?" she runs her hands over the bars of the railing, her eyes then pulse once she deciphers the meaning behind Bruce's inquiry, "Oh...you cannot be serious..."

"Buying equipment can be traced, not to mention that there are cameras all around us. Our only choice is to hold our breaths out there," Bruce answers, "If they are going to believe me about being shipwrecked, I can't exactly turn up to the island decked out with gear."

The heiress tiredly shakes her head and connects the gaze of her emerald eyes to Bruce's blue, "About fourteen minutes, seventeen max. My father was quite thorough with his training," she then observes the map, her eyes partially also catch a look at her reflection in the water below, "Just how do you plan on getting those Amazons to buy your little story?"

"We're going to make it look real" Bruce casually speaks.

"Oh...you have to be joking" the woman derides with a strained sigh, sliding her arms on the railings, "How could you possibly believe that destroying that boat while you're on it is a good idea? This is madness, beloved, absolutely madness..."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to blow up the boat, promise," Bruce smiles.

"Good. That would be utter lunacy to do-"

"That's your job," Bruce adds, rolling the map back up. Talia snaps her eyes towards the man, throwing him a glare. She gives a puff from her lips, blowing the gathered collection of strands of hair from her eyes. Bruce remains oblivious to her signs of vexation, even avoiding the crosshair of her scowl.

"I'm not doing that. This is complete idiocy," Talia folds her arms, twisting her neck to watch Bruce, "I'm beginning to believe that the heat is getting to you."

"The heat is nothing," the man gives a quick smile as he taps the rolled map against Talia's shoulder, "League training, remember? It's all about mind over matter," the woman standing beside him snatches up the map and constricts her grip around it, tightening her already glower facial features.

"You should really watch yourself, beloved," Talia cautions with a half-smile, "You're making the idea of blowing you up sound quite pleasant."

* * *

**\- Themyscira -**

Ambling through the halls, Diana's superhuman eyesight lands upon Artemis who was accompanied by several of amazons that were directing their way to her. The princess adorns a midnight blue gown, her hair resting over her right shoulder. Her sapphire blue eyes then catch the person that Artemis was carrying, with a few extra milliseconds, Diana sees that the figure was that of a man, "What is the meaning of this sisters?" she inquires, watching Artemis throw the man on the ground.

"It's just what it looks like, Diana. A man has come to this island," the redheaded Amazon reveals. Bruce crawls along the floor, lifting his gaze up and over Diana. He then twists his body to look back at the group behind him. His skin pales as he sees the blood-thirsty look that is present in some of their eyes, "Dimitra spotted smoke from over the barrier. Once we discovered the source of it was a downed ship, I investigated the shores and found him...," she approaches the man, grabbing at his shirt and lifting him back up, against his protests.

"Let me go!" Bruce whimpers as he grabs at the Amazon's hand, "Who the hell are you people?"

"Silence. You will only speak when spoken to!" Artemis brings Bruce down to be level with her, "This man has dishonoured our ways, I say we answer his transgression with the suited punishment."

"Enough!" Diana barks, stepping closer to her sisters, focusing on the man, "Speak your name mortal and quickly."

"Don't waste your breath," Artemis tells the other amazon, tilting her head, "Shipwrecked here claims that he doesn't know who he is or why he's here. Either his will is indomitable... or he speaks the truth," she and Diana share a quick look.

Diana spots the dread that washed over the man's expression "There is one way to determine such a query."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Bruce was pushed down onto his knees by the Amazons while Diana stands at his front, unwinding her lasso, "I told you...I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM! Just let me go...," he twitches when the Amazon princess grabs at his wrist and tightens the lasso around it in one fluid motion. She seizes the man's hair and jolts his head back, "I'm telling you the truth! I have nothing to hide!" he yells repeatedly, each time becoming more unhinged, a shadow of his former self.

"For your sake, you better not," Diana grasps the end of the lasso, "The lasso compels you to answer. Who are you?" the lasso emanates with a golden glow, becoming brighter as Bruce unknowingly resists against its influence. Noticing his delayed surrender of knowledge, Diana twists more of the lasso around his wrist, "Answer my question. Who are you?"

"I don't know!" Bruce answers, grinding his teeth and sweating considerably as the glimmer of the lasso gleamed in his eyes, "I DON'T KNOW! THERE I SAID IT! I DON'T KNOW MY NAME!," he growls with a convulsion of air from his mouth, "I only remember waking up here! That's it! I don't remember my name, why I was here, I don't even know who the hell you guys are!"

"I believe you," Diana unbinds the lasso from Bruce's flesh, "The lasso never lies and it appears you don't either," she stands, looking over to Artemis and the other amazons, "Attend to his wounds, then send him back to Man's world."

"Diana, he knows of us. He is too dangerous to let go," Artemis and several other Amazons speak up, "He stepped foot on this island, you know of the consequence for that crime."

Diana latches the lasso over her thigh, looking back to the man below her, she is reminded a familiar sight. One that only occurred a few short years ago. This whole situation was reminiscent of that one day, a day that she'll never forget. With little hindrance from her own reasoning, she does not back down "He is of no threat to us my sisters," she implored the others, as expected she receives a mix of returning looks. Some of solidarity, others...not so much, "What good will it do us to kill this man now? He is defenceless and unable to fight. To kill him here would be to insult our ways and our ancestors. We are warriors, not savages."

"To lead us Amazons, you must accept that there will be hard calls that you must make. Queen Hippolyta knew the hardships that came with leadership, and she faced them. She did not run from them like you try to, Diana," Alexa, the amazon that stood behind Artemis speaks, "With all due respect, Diana. Letting that man go unpunished is not in your power to make. You have yet to be named our new Queen, and until then...our ways cannot be changed. That is the Amazon way," she speaks apologetically, unhappy with herself.

"I refuse to accept such an outcome," the Princess protests, facing Alexa, "My mother spared the life of Steve Trevor. Our ways though ancient can be challenged. Why can we not allow this man the same levity?"

"Queen Hippolyta spared the life of that man, not out of a show of faith towards him, but as a peace offering to you. She only let that man live because she knew she would lose you if she allowed harm to befall that man," Artemis answers with Alexa showing no signs of challenging her, "She did not see a future when we can live among man's world."

"Perhaps she didn't look hard enough. Maybe she didn't want to see it at all," Diana comes closer to Artemis, "I beg of you, this man has done nothing to us."

"Him being here is a crime within itself. His fate will be decided by our council and them alone. By sunrise, we will know their declaration," Artemis claps, signalling the Amazons to capture Bruce in their hold, "Please forgive me, Diana. The gods were already once angered when your mother allowed Steve to live. Doing so again could draw their wrath upon us," Diana jolts forward, being blocked as a pair of Amazons intercept both her and the redhead amazon as Bruce was carried away, "I stand true to my word. I am sorry for this."

Diana eyes Artemis who stands behind the barrier of the other Amazons, just giving an unrelenting glare.

* * *

**\- Several Hours Earlier -**

"I gotta say that it's an absolute honour to be providing service to the Bruce Way," a Greek man chuckles, pinching a cigar between his teeth. He looks to in his later sixties, an estimate that could easily be made from his bolding hairline and the wrinkles that were prevalent in his skin. He was overweight, wearing a white shirt without a tie and a loose collar. His sleeves were rolled up and his smile was displaying his yellowing teeth. Though, he was friendly towards the Bruce, "It's not every day that I get to do business with one of America's biggest celebrities," he tells them, smoke trailing off from his cigar and towards the billionaire.

Bruce waves his hand through the cloud of smoke to disburse it from his direction while doing so, he looks at the man's badge, "Well I've always thought that Greece was a beautiful place. I've always liked the idea of coming here," he holds his hands inside the pockets of his jackets, slewing his head over towards the white yacht that was stationed over by the edge of the docks, seeing Talia throwing their bags onto it "I'm loving it so far, Mr Filo."

"Ah, good signore!" Alek Filo applauds with a wider grin, "Though I am a little confused. Not to sound ungrateful for your business, but wouldn't someone of your calibre preferer something a little bigger?"

Bruce looks back to Alek, holding a smile, "In my experience, I've learned that going smaller means more privacy. Fewer eyes prying into my affairs. I hope that we can keep this between us."

"Si signore. You can count on me," looking past Bruce, Alek's eyes land upon Talia who was returning from the yacht, "That is a very pretty woman that you have there. You are a very fortunate man, treat her right" he picks out the cigar from his mouth, "I can see why you so focused on privacy. I would be too if I was out in the sea with a lady like that. You wouldn't want people getting pictures of you two...," he quiets down when Talia completely made her way back to Bruce.

"C'mon, beloved. Our preparations are finished," Talia aims a lascivious smile at Bruce, "Please do hurry, I need you to assist me with my sun lotion" she looks to Alek, turning her features sower and completely changing her demeanour, "Pleasure doing business with you. Speak one single word of us and you'll be seeing me again...with a far less pleasant outcome," she then once again reverts back to a smile within a flash, "Do take care of yourself now" she gives a wink to Bruce and heads back towards the boat.

"She has quite a strange sense of humour, but I doubt that you're with her because of her character. Any man would fall for a woman that...alluring..." Alek notes as he pops the cigar back between his lips, "Remain in the region that we discussed. It will help S&R find you if it becomes necessary. They'll be notified if you aren't back by tomorrow."

"Thank you," Bruce grabs the strap of his sling bag as he faces away from Alek. After taking a few steps, he turns back, "Oh...and if you ever speak about her like that again...you'll be eating through a straw for the rest of your life" he then freely heads over to the yacht and leaves Alek in silence as he ponders the seriousness of his words.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Bruce jumps from the docks and onto the yacht, throwing his sling bag over into its interior. When doing so, he sees Talia helming the wheel, "Move over. I'm driving."

"I believe the correct term is: conning," Talia smirks as she thrusts the yacht, starting it and speeding across the water with the sudden hard-wall of air that hits Bruce sending him over onto his back. At their momentum, the woman's hair flows vigorously, "Tired already, beloved? Maybe you should rest...we have a long journey ahead of us" she hides a wide-grin that bursts with amusement from Bruce who had already gotten back onto his feet.

"Jeez, thanks mom... Bruce quips, sitting over by Talia, holding his arms over his knees and holding his palms together.

"*Mom*? I don't understand you. What do you mean to convey by calling me that? I'm clearly not Martha Wayne," the heiress sets the system to autopilot as she gives the man next to her an addled look and takes a seat next to him, "Maybe the heat has really gotten to you. Have you been keeping hydrated?" she runs her gloved hand over Bruce's forehead. Bruce gently pushes the woman's hand away and raises an eyebrow in return.

Bruce leans back "You've been in civilization for nearly two years and still haven't got the whole humour-thing down, I thought you were meant to be a fast learner."

"There were more pressing matters" Talia elucidates with a bored expressional tone of voice, shuttering her eyelids, "I'm still not that well-versed when it comes to many things in that civilization of yours. I was raised to belong to the laws of the shadows. Civil life weakens one's own valour, makes them perceptible to manipulation, all just to feel a part of a world that can easily be brought down, whether from outside forces...or the corruption within..." she lifts her right knee, raising it over to the seat next to her and curves her arm around her slender leg.

"So that's a definite no on the humour then," Bruce gets up and reaches for one of the bags next to them, picking out a water bottle. He unscrews the lid and takes a swig. While drinking, his eyes proceed to capture the woman back into his sights. He sees her look in his direction, though she didn't appear to realize that she was staring at him. Her pupils were unfocused, not having a target of her attention, instead, she looks past Bruce, being in a world of her own.

He caps the bottle, throwing it at Talia.

Just like as if a light switch was flipped on, Talia becomes lively again, instinctively catching the battle, "If that had hit me...you wouldn't be looking so confident right now," her face becomes refreshed as she flashes a wide smirk. She moved upward, looking over towards the clear-endless floor of blue that was the water "I'm keeping this by the way," she rattles the bottle as she walks out into the searing heat of the sun, "I want to get some relaxation in before we arrive at our destination."

"You planning on sunbathing at a time like this?" Bruce kneels by the bags, taking out the sealed map and rolls it out along the floor.

"We have plenty of time before we cross into the Amazons' territory," she drinks several mouthfuls of the bottle, "Oh...and I was serious about needing your help with the lotion. You wouldn't want me to burn now...would you?" she voices with a more immature tone that she plays up.

* * *

**\- Themyscira -**

Bruce sits against the stone wall of the dungeon, holding his arms around his legs. His freedom was sealed by a gate of iron bars that was locked along with the shackles and chains that tied him down around his arms and legs. The only source of light came from the window above him, far out his reach even if he wasn't weighed down by the iron chains. Contrary to the outside, the small room was cold, the damn smell came near to sickening him, maybe even bringing him to vomit. However, he somehow felt to have more resistance to the influence of his body, buying past its commands that it was trying to make him do.

He looks towards the iron bars that sealed him in as he hears the sounds of someone coming. His inkling was proven right as he sees Diana approach the wall of bars. The Amazon had changed her clothes since the last time that they saw each other. Diana was now wearing her red and blue armoured outfit along with her crown, silver bracelets and the lasso that was on her hip. Her hair was loose, some strands even concealing the crown around her forehead. Her blues eyes peek through the bars, where the man was looking back at her.

"Nice outfit," Bruce comments snidely.

"Yes. It is. It" the Greek goddess gives a disinterested gaze, "It was a gift from my mother." her eyes begin to track the man, seeing him slowly climb his way up, grappling the wall for support to counter the weight of the chains around his limbs. Observing the man's frame, she sees how muscular he was which was not par for the course for someone who claimed that they were no one worth knowing. She then recollects from before, witnessing him somehow possess enough mental fortitude to fight against the influence of the lasso of truth, a task that not many people could achieve, let alone a so-called normal human male.

There was more to him, whether he knew it or not. Whatever the revelation may be derived, she needed to know it. To begin, she starts small, "Diana. My name is Diana."

"Diana" Bruce approaches the bars with the clanks of the chains following him, "What the hell is going on? Where am I?"

Two simple questions, yet the answers that he sought were anything but that. How could she explain it? Was she even allowed to? Would he even believe her? Would her divulgence of that information bring about the scorn of Zeus? Could he even be trusted? Diana thought of all of the consequences that could arrive from just that and yet doesn't even begin to scrape the surface of the possible ramifications that could happen from that one single choice.

She couldn't work with this now. She needed something else, a new topic. Anything that could give her more information on the man on the other end of the bars. A single second was enough for her to decide on a new approach, a way that she could move the interaction forever in her corner. She needed to make him desperate, "You heard what Artemis and the others said back there, correct? I need you to be honest with me, I need to know who you are."

The man's eyes light up, throwing away his past calm front, "I told you! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T REMBER! I DON'T KNOW WHO THE HELL I-," he chokes as Diana thrusts her right arm through the gaps of the bars and grabs his shirt. She pulls him towards her and grinds him against the bars.

"You dare raise your voice at me?" she shrill, throwing the man back with enough force to throw him against the back wall, "Do so again and I'll have your tongue. Are we clear?" she then looks at her handiwork, seeing Bruce slide down against the wall as he winces, showing to have now have a dislocated shoulder which he was unable to hold due to the chains. Looking over him, she sees the cracks that had formed in the wall, indicative of the force that she used against him.

Diana gives a remorseful look, leaning to the bars until she was pressing up against them, "Sorry. I forgot how frail you humans are" she gives a dreary smile, unsure of what emotion that she should have used. It's not often that she excessively harms a person that was of no threat to her, the act alone makes her feel unworthy as both royalty and a warrior. Her pride compromised her own self, making her do the very same acts that she condemned of her Amazon sisters, "Your shoulder. Let me... I won't hurt you again, I promise."

Knowing that it was a chance to get rid of the now rampant pain ruling his body, Bruce slugs his way back towards the Amazon, locking-eyes with her and not moving or even blinking. He stops once he too was pressed against the bars. Diana reaches her hand through the other side and traces her digits up across the man's chest, slowing crawling to his shoulder, "Except for this," she then presses her fingers down and relodges the shoulder back into place, bringing a disgruntled cry out of the man.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Across the island, two Amazons journey through the forest, walking next to the ledge that leads to the spring as they're secretly stalked by a figure that lurks behind the cover of the trees. The physique was that of a woman, though with a more animalistic shape with a tail. Claw marks were left on the oak of the trees which follows the path of the woman. The Amazons look back as they hear a hefty laugh that carries through the trees, readying their swords. They begin to approach the source of the laughter but stop when they are charged at by the animalistic woman.

They scream, blood beginning to flow down from the hill and mixes into the spring.

* * *

**\- Several Hours Earlier -**

Bruce stands at the wheel, looking out to the far reaches of the river. He listens to Lucius with his earpiece, remaining silent as the receiver talks, "_You're getting close, Bruce. We're starting to lose your signal. By an estimate, you're about 2 hours out. You probably are aware of this, but you two are going to be on your own. Even reaching you now is screwing with the Batcomputer's systems. We won't be able to reach you again until you leave_ the island," Lucius warns Bruce, aware that the billionaire was already knew, but his conscience made him still say his peace regardless.

Through the gradually increasing glitching of their call, Bruce prepares to end the connection, "I'm signing off, Lucius. The Batcomputer's systems are being interfered with far greater than I estimated, Talia and I have this thing handled, so don't worry."

"_Copy that. Before you go, you should know that there's a- -around Gotham and- should know- -people are-..." _

"Lucius?" Bruce's ears are blasted with the static frequency with no luck of reaching the man on the other end. He pulls the earpiece from his ear and throws it into one of the bags next to him. Turning his torso, he looks back to the deck of the yacht, "Communication's out, Tal. We're officially on our own now." Across from him at the rear of the deck, Talia was lounged out on her back, wearing a two-piece black swimsuit with sunglasses as she watches the sky.

Talia lifts her lower back by pushing on her elbows "Hmm? Are you pretending to direct the ship? We both know that it's on autopilot, beloved. Care to join me?" turning over, she folds her arms over the floor "According to the map, we still have a few hours left to relax. Why don't you take a load off..."

Bruce walks out onto the deck, walking towards the woman, "You are remarkably calm considering what we're about to do." His shadow casts over the woman, "Aren't you at all worried?"

"No" Talia kicks her legs back, "What's the worst that they can do to me? You're the one who should be scared. They're going to be after your head," she turns her neck towards the man that stood at her feet, "Don't tell me...are you having seconds thoughts? That's not like you at all" her lips curve into a wry smile.

"Weren't you the one who tried to talk me out of doing this earlier?" Bruce sits down next to her and wraps his arms around his hunched up legs. Talia turns back to be facing forward, glimpsing the man in the corner of her eyes as she retains her smile.

"You should know me better than that," she admits, biting her bottom lip, "I'm fully aware of how stubborn you can be. I know that once you are fixated on something, you won't rest until you are satisfied. But the others wouldn't be too pleased with me if I didn't at least take a shot at talking you out of this madness."

"Thanks, Tal" Bruce nods, throwing the direction of sight upon Talia, "I know that I can act cold towards you, but I want you to know that you do mean a lot to me. This wouldn't be possible without your help. The Amazons would just kill me if I didn't have you." He sees the woman lift their sunglasses up, piercing him with her emerald green eyes.

When it came to the man that was next to her, she knew everything about him. All his fears, his hopes, his ambitions and his lies. It became easy over the years to read him, not from him being easy to understand nor her having the skill to do so. What made the man so simple to crack came from her own life experience. All the lies that she told, all the fears that she hid beneath her surface and all her of dreams that she could never find the strength to tell. She could read him so easily because she too was a master of hiding her own thoughts

It's like what they say, it takes one to know one.

"If you really are grateful for this, then you can tell me the real reason behind why you were so adamant on coming here," Talia requests the truth from Bruce, once again seeing him become absorbed in his thoughts, "Thought so. You can trust me, beloved. I know a thing or two about keeping secrets."

He couldn't do it. He couldn't hide it from her, she knew him too well to just forget about the turmoil that she saw in him. She would relent until she was told what she wanted to know, that little trait of hers made her both a valuable ally and a possible dangerous foe. Bruce confirms her suspicions with the look he gave her. There was need to share a single word with her to tell her that there was more to the situation than he led on.

"You're right. There is something that I'm not telling you..."

* * *

**\- Themyscira -**

Back in the present, Diana and Bruce still stand close with the bars of the cell walling them apart. She unwinds the lasso from her hip and delicately ties it around her own wrist, "Would you like to partake in a little experiment?" she asks of the man as she still sees the look in his eye, a gaze of distrust, a look well warranted from her earlier actions against him. She ropes the lasso around her wrist two more times, "An exercise in trust. This is called: The Lasso of Truth, it compels those bound by it to speak the tongue of truth...even me."

"What are you getting at?" the man with lost memories asks, still not believing Diana.

"Come. Sit with me," the Amazon kneels down. Bruce takes his time to become seated, still watching her like a hawk. She snakes the lasso between the bars and ties the other end around the man's wrist, "It's a game that I used to play as a child. I used to take the lasso when my mother wasn't around, the other Amazon children and I played with it, earning each other's trust by opening up all of our boundaries. Maybe you would like to do this with me?" Diana smiles.

"What are the rules?" Bruce inquires, still not bought over by the Amazon.

"It's simple. We take turns to ask each other questions, no matter how personal. A player wins when the other takes the lasso off to avoid answering, sound good?" Diana explains.

"B-but...I don't know anything about myself..." Bruce persists, being silenced as Diana scoots closer towards the bars.

"Then this should be an easy victory for you," she firms her eyebrows as she wraps her hand around the now glowing lasso, "You can begin if you desire."

Bruce was drawn into the gaze of Diana, becoming lost in her eyes. He takes time to think over a good beginning point, maybe an easy question to start things off. Though she claimed that he could ask her anything, this was also the same woman who just threw him across the room less than two minutes ago. He knew to behave and not overstep the welcoming that she was giving him. At the same time, not playing along with her could also anger her, maybe even make her give up and abandon him down here.

Then it hit him. Why was he overanalysing her? Why was he paying attention to her body language? When did he start doing this? How did he know to do it? Whatever the reason, he could feel his instincts telling him to take advantage of this opportunity and to learn as much about as possible. It was like there was something else inside him, some dark impulse that is guiding him to gather more information on her. An impulse that was only becoming stronger and stronger, "Earlier, I heard those other women talking someone else. I'm not the first man to come to this island am I?"

The lasso glows around Diana's hand and her eyes glint the same colour, "No. You're not. There was another, a man named Steve Trevor. He was the first human male to step foot on this island." she explains, hiding her emotion from him as she stops before she said anymore, "I believe that it's my turn. Tell me how you're feeling right now? Are you scared?"

"I don't know what I'm feeling. Maybe it's sadness...maybe it's something else...it's hard to explain," Bruce answers with the influence of the lasso, then following up with his turn, "About this Steve Trevor...what happened to him?" he sees Diana's expression change at the mention of his name. It was a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but for some reason, he saw it quickly without even knowing to look for it, like he was already looking for it without knowing.

"He was granted full amnesty by my mother five years ago. I've only seen him once since then but he is alive and well" Diana answers and more than ready to take her turn to move the conversation over to something easier for her, "You said that you weren't quite sure what to make of how you're feeling. Why not? Any ordinary person would be scared if they were in your situation. Yet, even with everything, you are still able to think rationally. Do you know why that is?"

"I'm just not scared. I don't know why. I know that the reasonable thing to do is be scared...but I'm just not," Bruce was once again helpless against the power of the lasso, giving in so easily. Hopefully, she wouldn't learn of him analysing her. Her discovering that would ruin all remaining good favour that they have, and she shouldn't as long as she doesn't ask him regarding that. He had to stop her from asking those questions, he had to move the topic away from him and back onto her.

It couldn't be a simplistic inquiry. It had to have layers too, it had to make her think. That's when he remembers, Diana said whoever takes the lasso off first loses, he just had to make it be her. He couldn't risk forfeiting the game, that would just prove that he had something to hide, even if he wasn't completely sure of it. Of course trying to claim victory would entail him diving into more personal territory and risk touching nerves that he was better off not touching. He couldn't go too personal so quickly, Diana would have a chance of picking up on his tactic. He had to play it smart.

"What's going to happen to me, Diana? What's going to happen at sunrise after?"

"I wish that I could lie to you," she observes the glow of the lasso, "Your fate is not my hands, instead your judgement will be carried out by a selected group of Amazons. I can't lie... your chance at amnesty is low, maybe even impossible," she then sees the hurt in the man's eyes, yet she still had more to say and none of it was good, "Come sunrise, once we get word of their decision...your decided fate shall be carried out in that same hour."

"And if they decide that I'm guilty? What happens to me then?"

It wasn't his turn to ask her, but she couldn't deny him such a vital piece of information. Whether she wanted to or not, the Lasso was still tied around her flesh and as a result, she was still bound by its will. There was no point in fighting against its grip on her, she would surrender to it eventually. She could remove it from herself to avoid answering his question, but once again she would just be delaying the inevitable and being unwilling to answer him could make him feel worse than the truth ever could. She found it pointless to hide it at this point, "They will kill you. You will be sentenced to a public execution."

"W-what?" Bruce says defeated by Diana's truth. It was obvious in hindsight, but hearing it brought forth a whole new storm of emotions, some he knew, others... not so much. With the last of his will, he rips the lasso from his hand and throws it to the stone floor, avoiding eye contact with Diana, "They're going to kill me? That's... that's..."

Diana stands back up, not taking her eyes off of the man, "It's not completely hopeless. You still have a chance to survive. You'll stand trial before the council to make your case."

"That's crazy! Can't your mother get me off the hook as she did with that other guy? I'll do anything" he grabs holds of the bars to climb up to be level with the Amazon, "Please... look at me, you know that I can't hurt you..."

"My mother's gone. She was murdered. And until I am named Themyscira's new queen, I cannot grant you amnesty," she knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it was the truth, "It would take days for the ceremony to be completed, maybe even weeks. It won't matter either way because that's not time that you have, I'm sorry," she then reaches into the cell and holds her hands over Bruce's, "Whoever comes down here, whatever they say. Do not say a single word to anyone that isn't me. The Amazons are soldiers that have mastered the art of war, including one of it's most dangerous tactics: deception."

* * *

**\- Several Hours Earlier -**

"We are less than ten minutes out from Themyscira. The die is now cast, beloved" Talia looks out to the endless bed of water with binoculars while she inserts her blade into the sheath on her back, "We should stop here. Any closer and they could spot us." Dressed in her catsuit, she marches towards Bruce, seeing him turn the engine of the yacht off. They then lock their eyes, "I've been putting it off until now, just how do you plan to blow up this boat?"

"You mean...how do I plan on you to blow the boat," Bruce throws something to the woman. Talia catches the object and sees that it a wrapped block with a detonator taped to it. Once she figured out what it was, an audible sigh breaks free of her lips.

"You ride the line between genius and madman very scarcely," the heiress then follows Bruce to the end of the deck, "So how are we going to do this?" their pair then stop, Talia hands the binoculars over to the man stood beside her. He then uses them to look ahead.

"Once we detonate the explosive, it's bound to draw their attention. The device can be activated from over five miles, you should make it to the island first. That way, if they search for any other survivors among the water, you won't be discovered. Bruce keeps looking through the lenses, zooming in as much as possible, "Remember our communicators are useless, we have to use our eyes to keep tracks of each other."

"Speaking of...if technology is useless in their boundaries then how can we assume that the explosive will work?"

"It's old school, it's not as advanced as modern-day tech. The magical barrier only glitches the pre-existing signal, but with that...it only needs a nanosecond to become active," he then passes back the binoculars, "You're gonna need these."

Talia takes the detonator off of the device, "And what of our signal? You have thought of than I assume? From the island, I'll be able to see you but you won't see me."

"There isn't a signal. You are to press the trigger the moment you get onto that island. There's a timer, I'll have thirty seconds to get off here. That way...there's room for margin of error, so being a couple seconds off won't BBQ me," he takes the explosive from the demoness, throwing a smile to contrast her dismal look, "Relax, I'm going to be fine. I planned it out, remember? You can trust me." he then leaves her side, heading back to the front of the yacht.

Talia turns as Bruce throws the sling bag at her, catching it she puts it on "Just so we're clear If you get yourself killed I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Deal" Bruce gives a light-hearted smile.

"Well...this is certainly a unique way of a getting a girl wet, beloved. See you on the other side," Talia then dives off of the yacht and into the water as she swims towards her targeted destination. Bruce then turns back to the wheel and plants the device on the console.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The journey would have gruelling for anyone, being long and difficult due to the strength of water that surrounded her. It is hard to explain just how it felt, way heavier than normal, yet lighter at the same time. Eventually, Talia felt like she was on a different planet altogether. But nevertheless, she continued on until she made it. She raises her head out of the water and is greeted a large cliff that looked to lead to a grassland, maybe even some kind of jungle.

She lifts herself out of the water as she climbs up the steep cliff. It took her minutes to do, reaching the top in no time. One would think that doing such a task so quickly would be an impossible job, for most people that assumption would be right. But the demon's daughter was far off from being like most people. Parts of her childhood training was to climb the mountains near Nanda Parbat, doing so often that it became second nature to her. Throughout the years, she had toned her body to near perfection through both training and exploration. There was no mountain on the planet that she couldn't climb.

She takes position, looking back the way that she came with the binoculars while holding the detonator in her left hand. Just as expected, she could see the yacht out far from the island along with Bruce, "I'm trusting you with this," her fingers then ghost over the switch. She then breathes in, this time pressing down on the device, "Come on, move your ass...," she whispers, before being drawn to something bulleting down from the sky towards the boat, "Oh...no...," she then makes out a pair of wings that were attached to the descending figure.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Good girl," Bruce begins to move as the timer begins to countdown, giving him half a minute to move to a safe distance which would mean the water. He heads towards the deck of the yacht, preparing to jump off when an eerily familiar screech is then shot down at him. Bruce looks up and sees Silver Swan rapidly diving towards him, jumping back he evades the brunt of the sonic blast. The boat was not so lucky as half of it was completely shattered beneath for force of the blast.

Silver Swan was already back on the attack as she swipes her talons across the man's back, leaving several large curved cuts, "Fancy meeting you here...," she snickers, slashing at Bruce again. The vigilante dodges under the villainesses' swing and makes a break to jump overboard, "Where are you going, sweetie? Was it something that I said?" she flies to him, tackling him onto the railing of the yacht as she perches on top of him, pinning him down "I can tear you to shreds in so many ways...," she traces her claws across Bruce's scalp and leaves trails of blood along the way.

"Y-you tailed me. Y-you wanted me to find Themyscira...," Bruce's eyes widen, realizing the mistake that he had just made.

"Be glad that you're dealing with me and not Minerva, unlike her, I don't like torturing my prey...," she grins, curving one of the blades of her wings against the man's neck, "Stay still or this will get messy..."

10.

9.

8.

"...D-don't count on it," Bruce glares.

4.

3.

"Oh...and why is tha-," both Silver Swan and Bruce were thrown from the boat as the explosion erupts, covering the ship in a fiery blaze and sending the pair overboard with Bruce hitting the side of his head against Venessa's armour along the way. They were submerged by the water, vanishing deep into its depth. Bruce was then swept up by the current, being sent towards the island while he lost consciousness with his whole world becoming dark.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Watching from the island, Talia stands as she could only see the ship that was covered by flames, not making out either Bruce of the villain. "Shit" she spoke with a mere whisper as she frantically looked to the sea, trying to spot Bruce. "Dammit...," she growls.

* * *

**\- Themyscira -**

Diana leaves the confines of the dungeon, climbing up the stone steps and back into the embrace of the light of the day where she finds Artemis waiting. The princess walks past the other Amazon, not wanting to give her the time of day. Artemis then follows after her, "You were in there for a long time, Diana."

Diana keeps moving, "And of what business do you have with that matter? I was not defying any of our laws." She then sees the redhead catch up with her pace, now standing in line with her, "And before you ask, no I did not tell Alexa to leave. She was gone by the time that I arrived."

"Those chains can hold the servants of Ares, I am not concerned about that man escaping. I am however concerned about you," Artemis easily keeps up with the princess as she sees her try to break free from their proximity, "I am worried for you. This is exactly what happened with the previous guy."

"No. Not quite, he was shown mercy. That man down there won't be so fortunate"

"That's not set in stone. The council hasn't condemned a man to death since the trial of Ares' army. It's as you said, we are warriors, not savages. They're open to reason, Diana, you just have to make them listen," the redhead rationally speaks, trying to get the Amazon to ease up, "We're all on edge. The last man to come to this island murdered Queen Hippolyta. The goodwill that Steve earned with us, Vandal Savage destroyed," her intentions were to calm Diana, but she could feel that her actions had the opposite effect.

The two then stop in their tracks, facing the other, "My anger is for Vandal and him alone. This man has nothing to do with it, it feels like the Amazons want to use him as a scapegoat. I cannot allow that to happen, any blood that we spill will only belong to Savage. I'll make sure of it," Diana was clear, her voice was ruthless, "To kill the man down there will only bring shame to my mother's memory, Artemis. The only way to avenge her is to kill Vandal."

Artemis slides her hands over her hips and stares Diana down, trying to make her back off, "I'm with you, always have been. But this is our way, Diana. Neither of us possesses the power to do anything about it," she reminds the other woman, "The only for that man to leave here alive is to convince the Amazons himself. Our words will only influence, but he is the one who will determine the outcome," turning her head, she sees Alexa running towards them while she holds a book against her chest.

Artemis then looks over the younger Amazon "Where did you get off to? It was your duty to watch over the prisoner."

"Come quick! Something's happened, our sisters have been slaughtered" Alexa informs the two warriors, Diana and Artemis give a look of disgust, angering from what they were told.

"Where?" Diana inquires, gritting her teeth.

"North of the training grounds. Reinforcements are already heading there," Alexa answers, still trying to catch her breath.

"Stay with the prisoner, Alexa. Diana and I will go," the two warriors then take off, racing towards the named area.


End file.
